


Cracks In The Surface

by knightswatch



Category: Free!
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Anxiety, Conspiracy, Families of Choice, Gangs, Hypnotism, Kidnapping, M/M, Mind Control, Missing Persons, Mook Inspired, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Supernatural Criminals, minor character injury
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-20
Updated: 2016-01-01
Packaged: 2018-04-22 12:15:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 64,314
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4834988
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/knightswatch/pseuds/knightswatch
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“You were protecting someone,” Ai pointed out, glancing down at his food and struggling to keep his tone even. “Someone most people wouldn't stand up for.”</p>
<p>“You were going to do the same thing. Without a badge,” Rin pointed out and Ai glanced up to see his eyes narrowed just a little. He felt stripped a little too raw under those eyes and found himself wishing he hadn't said anything at all. He gripped his chopsticks tighter, trying to ignore the slight fade of his fingers.</p>
<p>“L-like I said,” Ai flicked his eyes up and swallowed hard, shrugging with a great effort, feeling the full weight of his lie on his shoulders. “I don't like bullies.”</p>
<p>“Well,” Rin chuckled softly, shrugging as well. “I don't either.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Am I The Enemy?

**Author's Note:**

> I've actually written three first chapters for new Rintori aus and this was the one I settled on! I wrote this whole thing today and I'm majorly tired so if you see any big mistakes, please let me know ahaha.

Ai huffed slightly at his reflection, trying to smooth his hair into its usual shape as a yawn split his face, wrinkling his nose and reaching a hand through the smooth glass of the medicine cabinet, pulling out his toothbrush and using his elbow to turn the faucet on. The water, thankfully, didn't spit out black from the faucet and he brushed his teeth with half-open eyes. The late nights were starting to take a toll on his usual bright attitude and it was hard to think of anything other than just falling back into bed.

He spit a wad of toothpaste into the sink, turning the water off after rinsing his toothbrush carefully and placing it back into the cabinet the same way he'd grabbed it out, giving up on fixing his hair and instead pulling a light gray beanie over it. Sharing proximity with Momo sometimes meant there was just too much static in the air to make it tamable. His livewire roommate was already shuffling around the kitchen, from the sound of it tormenting the microwave into making them breakfast.

Ai pulled another sweater on, rubbing at his eyes and picking his way around the precarious stack of uncounted bills sitting by the doorway to the bedroom. There wasn't a door anymore, but it wasn't as if either of them had a particular need for privacy at this point. Momo turned to him with a vibrant grin, a plate of no doubt overcooked eggs in his hand, sparks still crackling off his fingertips. “Morning Aichi!”

He received a clipped groan in response, though Ai took the eggs with a small smile, spreading salt over them and making no complaint over the fact that Momo hadn't yet figured out how much power to actually put into the machine to cook them properly. They were much better than going to work with his stomach feeling like it was going to collapse in on itself. Momo scrubbed a hand through his constantly unkempt hair, making it crackle with energy and stand on end for a moment. “Do you gotta work all day again?”

“Yeah,” Ai rubbed at his eyes so he didn't have to see the sad look that crossed Momo's face for a moment, frowning. “We can go out for awhile when I get home if you want. Things have been quiet lately, we shouldn't get any trouble.”

“You mean _I_ shouldn't get any,” Momo pouted, poking at the dark ink set into the skin of his shoulder. Ai cringed but looked back down at his eggs. He didn't exactly want to agree though they both knew Momo was right in his own way. If there was trouble, wandering around in public with Momo was just asking for more.

“We can get burgers if you want,” Ai offered, lifting his eyes in time to catch the thousand-watt smile that jumped onto Momo's face for a second. It was a look he'd been more used to getting when they were kids, before they were stuck living together in an apartment with no doors on the inside and water that sometimes ran black, sometimes ran red, and sometimes didn't come out at all. It faded off his face quickly, his fingers curling into nervous fists around the edge of the counter.

“Can we? Spend the money, I mean,” he glanced nervously at the pile in the corner and Ai frowned slightly, considering. He shrugged his shoulders after a moment, finishing the eggs.

“We'll use my paycheck,” he offered instead and Momo seemed to shrink at little more at that. He tried to stretch the small amount of money he got from working at the aquarium as far as he could, really. They'd count the money in the corner at some later point when Ai was feeling more awake, and keep everything they didn't have to spend just to keep living the same way they were. Sometimes, when they had enough extra for Ai to stop worrying for a few days he shared it with Nagisa in the apartment next door, but it was rare they could even do that much.

He patted a hand on Momo's shoulder with a smile, wrinkling his nose at the familiar feeling of being shocked, chuckling softly. “Don't worry about it, we can do that much at least.”

“Okay,” Momo smiled again though it didn't have the same brightness. Ai nodded in a quick affirmative, but Momo poked his fingers together before Ai turned toward the sole door that led out of the apartment. “Um, Aichi? Have-- have you heard anything from nii-chan?”

Ai froze, looking down and shaking his head slowly. Momo hadn't actually asked the question yet of why Seijuurou had been gone for almost a week, and Ai had been glad, seeing as he had no answer to that. He was used to covering for the older Mikoshiba on occasion; sometimes he would leave on jobs the nature of which he wasn't exactly willing to share with Ai or Momo, but usually Ai knew when he was going and when he was supposed to be back.

Panic was starting to bubble in a familiar way under Ai's skin and he could feel his hands fading to intangibility and he shook them quickly to stop them, looking at Momo over his shoulder and smiling. “I'm sure he'll be home in a few days, yeah? Don't worry about it.”

“Ah, right. It's probably just a job,” Momo sounded like he was trying to convince both of them, his eyes dropping to glance at Ai's hands for a brief second. As soon as he was sure he wouldn't be phasing them into his legs, Ai pushed them into his pockets and smiled, nodding his head.

“Stay out of trouble, okay? If you need anything knock on Nagisa-kun's door,” Ai knew that by this point Momo didn't really need the reminder but he still gave it, biting his lip slightly. He hated having Seijuurou out of town, being forced to leave Momo home all day without anyone to talk to or the or the option of even going for a walk safely. He stepped through the door without bothering to open it, giving Rei a small, tight smile as he passed by him in the crumbling hallway, jogging down the stairs and hoping nothing happened that would make him late.

Being Unregistered meant that Ai had the freedom of at least holding down a job, even if it was a crappy one of dropping buckets of chopped up fish into tanks at the local aquarium. He'd always wanted to bring Momo in to show him the otters and the sharks with the tiny striped pilot fish swimming along underneath them, but like most places outside the slums, they didn't generally allow Registered inside, especially an elemental-class like Momo.

Ai frowned at the bucket in his hand before upending it and dumping the chum into the water, letting it swing loosely from his fingers. He was struggling to keep his mind from wandering to Seijuurou and where he might be; worrying rarely did anything other than make him start phasing random body parts and that was the worst possible thing to have happen here at work. Instead, he quietly resolved to talk to one of the gangs that he knew Seijuurou worked with sometimes on his way home. Usually, they didn't give him any trouble, and he knew at least one or two member who wouldn't try to kill or initiate him on sight.

He set the bucket down with a sigh, picking up the next one and dumping it in as well, wrinkling his nose at the whiff of blood. One of the sharks darted to the surface, opening its mouth and swallowing a great mouthful of the butchered fish. Ai shuddered a little, turning away from the sight and gathering the empty buckets in his hands. He was stepping off the last stair when he caught sight of the pair of police officers sidling past and he had to suck in a hard breath to keep the anxiety from welling in his chest again.

It worked until they passed closer to him and he could see the badge reading Tokyo Registration Squad and his hand instantly phased through the handles of the buckets, making them both clatter loudly to the floor. Ai groaned, stuffing his hand into his pocket and reaching down to grab them with the other. He wasn't quite quick enough; one of the officers turned and bent over to pick them both up, adjusting the cap over his violently red hair as he stood, passing them back into Ai's hand with a soft laugh.

“Those are kinda slippery, huh?” He raised an eyebrow, apparently taking no note of anything strange. Ai smiled, nodding his head as he took them quickly, hoping his smile looked realer than it felt.

“T-they tend to get a little wet. Thank you,” he started to turn when the officer coughed a little, bringing his attention back quickly. He forced himself to keep smiling, hoping nothing else went intangible on its own. “D-do you need help finding an exhibit?”

“N-no, um, could you take a look at this picture?” Ai nodded, leaning over and staring down at the photo in his hand. The girl in it looked remarkably similar to the officer himself; same bright red hair and sharp red eyes, smiling at the camera with her hair tied into a high ponytail. She was wearing a school uniform, Ai tried not to be jealous over that fact, she was probably close to his age. “Have you seen this girl in here at all in the past few weeks?”

“Oh, um, no I haven't,” Ai lifted his head, frowning slightly at the obvious worry on his face. He noted the badge on his chest said 'R. Matsuoka'. “I-I can keep an eye out if you want, but really I just feed animals so I don't see that many people...”

Matsuoka shook his head, tucking the picture away and glancing back at his frowning partner. “Ah, alright. Thanks, kid.”

Ai bowed his head quickly, the back of his neck heating up. “O-of course, sir.”

He didn't miss the partner laughing in his rush to get away, nodding at Ai and saying something that made Matsuoka frown and punch him in the arm before they both continued walking in the opposite direction.

 

By the end of the day, Ai reeked of salt water and fish guts, and he felt tired down to his bones. That was the last time he agreed to a job with Momo before work the next day-- even if they had needed the money desperately to cover rent and the water bill. He rubbed his hands over his face tiredly, pausing outside an alley marked with the insignia of a shark biting a katana in half. He sighed, glancing around before turning down it himself.

Seijuurou did a lot of work with the Samezuka gang; they had a reputation of not being particularly violent and taking good care of their people, and almost every single one of them was Unregistered. Ai still squeezed his hands into nervous fists at the sound of shuffling feet ahead of them, turning the sharp corner and sighing a little as space opened up between buildings.

It was safer for him than someone like Momo; at least if he needed to run there was no way for them to grab him or shoot him. He could just run through the building to his right, provided the walls weren't too thick. He smiled shakily at the first person he saw; tall and imposing with dark hair cut close to his head and thick eyebrows. He couldn't recall if it was someone he'd ever met before, but he lifted a hand in a weak wave. “I-I'm looking f-for Seijuurou.”

“Mikoshiba?” The boy next to the glaring one raised an eyebrow, smoke billowing out of his mouth. He was more slight, swoopy brown hair hanging in his eyes. Ai nodded slightly, curling his arms around himself as the boy took another slow drag of his cigarette before shaking his head. “Haven't seen him this week.”

“D-do you um, know if he might be doing some kind of job?” He could vaguely remember Kazuki, at least. He was fairly sure he could remember Kazuki coming by to drop off a package or two in the past, meaning he probably was someone Seijuurou trusted at least slightly. Kazuki blinked then shook his head, shrugging his shoulders.

“I don't, but you can ask Tachibana-san if you want,” his smile twisted a little bit nasty with the suggestion and Ai balked. He only knew Samezuka's leader based on reputation, and he wasn't eager to introduce himself. His panic got the better of him and his hand phased through his pocket to dangle beside him, and because that only made him more nervous his arm started fading as well, making hit seem slightly transparent. The other boy sat up at that, blinking his eyes hard.

“Oh, holy shit he's a phaser. Did you know that?” His eyes shot up to his friend, who shook his head hard. He dropped the cigarette, crushing it under his heel and shoving away from the wall, grinning.

“C'mon, let's talk with Tachibana-san. He'll definitely agree to see you,” he winked and rather than grabbing at Ai started nudging him forward, out of the alley. Ai didn't fight, his eyes shifting around as panic made his breath shiver on its way out. He looked over his shoulder, nodding at the other boy. “Uozumi, c'mon.”

Kazuki looked down at Ai with a vicious smile, patting Uozumi's shoulder as he joined them. “Don't get too flighty-- Takuya-kun here is a canceler.”

“O-oh,” Ai breathed out nervously, cringing despite himself when Kazuki squeezed his shoulder in a way that felt more threatening than reassuring. Ai wondered if there was a sewer underneath them that he could phase into, but didn't dare try with his breath already coming in fast puffs. His arm solidified when he focused on it and that seemed to make Kazuki approve because he dropped his hand at least.

They stopped in front of a building that looked long abandoned to Ai's gaze, but Kazuki still banged his fist on the door in a hard pattern, stepping back to wait. It opened and Ai froze, blinking as he stared up at his neighbors face. Rei stared back at him, mouth dropping open a little as he pushed his glasses up, throat bobbing around a swallow. “N-Nitori-kun?”

“Oi, butterfly, you know him?” Kazuki leaned forward with a leer across his face, this time squeezing both hands around Ai's shoulders. “We're recruiting him! Cute little phaser wandered right up to us.”

Rei's face went hard at that, and Ai noticed one fist clenching at his side. He stepped out of their way anyway, shaking his head with a little sigh. “Makoto-senpai is going to be annoyed.”

“Ah, no way! It's not like we nabbed him off the street,” Kazuki waved his hand and ushered Ai up the stairs with a laugh, glancing back as Rei followed after them. “Wants to know about Mikoshiba's job.”

“He's not on one,” Rei answered surely and Ai frowned at that, looking back at him with a hard swallow.

“R-really?” Ai twitched nervously, squeezing his hands so his nails bit into his palms. Now he really really didn't want to be here. Rei's face softened slightly, an apologetic look in his eyes as he shook his head. He stepped ahead of them at the top of the stairs, striding to a door at the end of the hall and opening it without knocking, poking his head inside.

Kazuki leaned back against the wall, shooting Uozumi a grin over the top of Ai's head. “Think we'll get moved up for this one?”

Uozumi shrugged, looking unconvinced. Kazuki whined, throwing his arm over Uozumi's shoulders and shaking his head. “Don't be a downer, Takuya-kun! Smile, for once.”

“No, get off me,” he huffed but didn't sound invested in the statement. Ai edged slightly further away as they were distracted. He drew a shaky breath into his lungs, focusing on making his whole body intangible.

He didn't get the chance to complete the thought before Uozumi reached out and grabbed his shoulder with a frown, heavy eyebrows set close together. “No running.”

“I-I wasn't!” Ai squeaked, his mouth suddenly dry. Rei finished whatever conversation he was having, turning back and waving two fingers at them, frowning when Kazuki and Uozumi stepped with Ai.

“Just him,” he said evenly, ushering Ai through the door with a hand between his shoulder blades. He closed it quietly behind them and Ai bit sharply into his lower lip, turning to face the room and swallowing the nerves that were screaming at him to get away.

Makoto Tachibana was in no way what he expected. He was sitting on a weathered old couch; tall and broad with muscle packed over his entire frame, legs stretched out and one arm draped over the back of the couch, leaving space for the other person on it who was laying on his back, head pillowed in Makoto's lap, dark hair spread out around it like spilled ink. He looked up at Ai and his face melted into a wide smile, the corners of his eyes crinkling slightly with it.

“You can sit down if you'd like,” he offered, voice gentle, nodding his head at an overstuffed arm chair set up facing the couch. Ai blinked hard at it before sitting slowly, teeth digging into his lip. Makoto seemed to sense his nerves because he smiled more gently. “I'm not going to ask you to do anything-- you live with Mikoshiba-kun, correct?”

“H-he's um, kinda like an older brother to me,” Ai nodded, swallowing and clenching his hands into fists in his lap. “I-I was just hoping someone knew where he was.”

Makoto shook his head with a small frown and Ai couldn't help but notice the fact that his hand was curled gently in the other boy's hair. He didn't even open his eyes and Ai looked up quickly, feeling like it was something he shouldn't really be seeing. Makoto glanced over at Rei, his other leg bouncing nervously.

“How many people missing would that be?” He asked softly and Ai's whole body went rigid. Makoto lifted his hands, holding them out in front of him quickly with a nervous laugh. “H-he might not be, of course! I'm aware Mikoshiba-kun takes on a lot of jobs; there's three of you, right?”

“Y-yeah, me and his actual little brother,” Ai twitched his fingers in his lap, glancing up at Rei. There was no point in lying, he figured since his neighbor was standing right there. Rei frowned slightly, adjusting his glasses.

“Momotaru-kun is Registered, as well,” he clarified and Makoto nodded, leaning back again and shaking his head. He glanced at Ai, raising an eyebrow gently.

“I'm guessing you're not, Nitori-kun?”

“N-no, I'm not,” he swallowed, squeezing his fingers tightly. “M-Momo got caught because he was still in school-- he's not a--”

Ai cut himself off quickly, red splashing over his face. Technically, Momo wasn't a criminal, even if he helped Ai plan out his own robberies. He was able to break or turn off most electrical equipment just by phasing through it, so he had never asked the livewire to come with him. But, he was also talking to the leader of a gang of criminals, who hopefully he hadn't just offended. Instead, Makoto looked a little sad, nodding his head.

“My brother and sister are still in elementary school, you and Mikoshiba-kun must have worked hard to make that happen for him,” Makoto smiled and Ai felt like his tongue had turned to lead. Was this actually Makoto Tachibana?

The boy laying across Makoto's lap opened his eyes for the first time, not bothering to glance at Ai, frowning. “We need to move.”

“H-Haru-chan?” Makoto frowned, sliding his thumb over the high arch of Haru's cheek. “What's wrong?”

“Cops. They saw the pair of idiots drag him in here,” he flicked his eyes to the door then to Ai, and he was struck by how deep and blue they were. Haru sat up slowly, nodding at Rei. “Get out of here, we'll go through the back alley.”

“What about--” Rei started then cringed at the loud bang of the door being kicked open. There were shouting voices and Haru pushed himself up quickly, on his feet and brushing past Ai's seat with a focused look on his face. He pressed a hand to the door, closing his eyes for a brief second before yanking it back and shaking his head hard.

“TRS. We need to move,” he repeated, looking back at Makoto with a wideness to his eyes, fear starting to tinge his monotone voice. Makoto nodded, standing and holding his hand out with a weak smile.

“It'll be fine Haru-chan,” he reassured softly, tugging Haru against his chest when their hands linked, hugging him briefly before nudging him towards one of the broken windows. He paused, staring at the glass before jamming his elbow through what was left. Ai cringed on instinct but blinked when it simply fell away from his skin rather than stabbing into his arm. He brushed the shards away with a careless hand before nudging Haru gently through the wooden frame.

Ai could feel himself starting to sink into the chair but felt too frozen to stop himself. He could get away easily if only he could make his legs move. Rei paused in his hurry toward the window, blinking at Ai before reaching out and grabbing his shoulder, shaking his head. “You can come with us, Nitori-kun, don't worry.”

Ai nodded weakly, letting Rei half pull him through the window. He promptly dropped through the surface of the roof, losing control over the pounding of his heart and hitting the ground with a gasp. Makoto stared at him, both arms wrapped around Haru's waist still. Ai was about to ask how Rei was supposed to get down until the boy landed next to him gracefully, folding a pair of huge indigo wings against his back. The back of his shirt was torn open and Ai wondered how he managed to hide them so well.

There was cursing from above them, loud, in a voice that tugged at Ai's mind. He could almost place it before Rei was nudging him with them again, and Ai caught the wings merging into a tattoo splashed across his back and tried not to stare as he walked. Makoto slowed when they hit the street, slowly dropping his arm from around Haru and glancing around before drooping his shoulders and forcing his posture relaxed, smile easy. It was the most intimidating thing Ai had seen Makoto do, scarier than watching him put his arm through a window without flinching or drawing blood. He tugged weakly at Rei's side, shaking his head.

“I need to get home--” his voice came out choked and he almost cursed himself for it, swallowing when Rei glanced at him and frowned slightly before nodding his head and clearing his throat.

“Haruka-senpai, is the apartment building clear?” He asked, adjusting his glasses when Haru turned back towards him and blinked slowly before nodding his head.

“Tell Nagisa we need to talk to him tomorrow,” Makoto added with a small frown, pushing his fingers through his hair. “I thought I saw him in the redlight district the other day, but you know how hard it is to be sure.”

Ai knew he wasn't imagining the way Rei's eyes went a little wide before he nodded, frowning hard and looking away. “I'll make sure he knows.”

“Ah-- I'm sure he wasn't--” Makoto blinked, red creeping over his ears and his voice devolving into a series of uncomfortable sounds that didn't quite form words. Haru sighed softly, patting Makoto's shoulder and regarding Rei seriously.

“He's not selling himself, we just need to make sure he isn't doing anything _else_ ,” he emphasized neatly, glancing at Makoto and rolling his eyes. “Can we go home?”

“Of course, Haru-chan,” he smiled as he agreed, giving Ai a small nod. “I'll make sure to have someone ask around about Mikoshiba-kun, so please don't worry too much over it.”

“T-thank you,” Ai bowed, lower than he probably should have on a public street, before turning and walking towards home with Rei. He was much later than he'd planned on being and the close call was still making his hands shake by the time he reached for the doorknob, not sure why he was even trying it since it would be locked. He glanced back at Rei, smiling weakly. “Y-you helped me out today, didn't you?”

Rei blinked at that, lifting his head from trying to examine the tattered remains of his shirt. “I'm not sure what you mean, Nitori-kun.”

“It would've been different if you didn't know me,” Ai dropped his hand, turning around to face Rei fully now. “I don't want to be in anybody's debt, and I don't want to be forced to steal for anyone else.”

“Makoto-senpai wouldn't force you to do anything, no matter who you were,” Rei shook his head, pushing his glasses up his nose. “As for debt, there isn't any between you and I. You've helped Nagisa-kun and myself since you've moved in, haven't you? Even when you could've tried to save money for your own family.”

Ai nodded his head slightly, lips turning up just a little at the corners. “Thank you, for helping me.”

Rei nodded, smiling a little in return. Ai passed through the door easily, used to the feeling of moving his body through the thin wood, shouting as Momo nearly tackled him the second he was solid again.

“M-Momo-kun, please!” He whined, giving in easily to the hug despite the fact that he could escape it easily. Momo squeezed him tighter for a second before letting go and wrinkling his nose with a bright laugh.

“You smell awful,” he chuckled, pinching his nose dramatically. “Like smoke and fish guts.”

“Yes, well,” Ai sighed, pulling his hat off and ruffling his hair under his fingers. “Let me get changed.”

“C-can we still go out, do you think?” Momo ventured, sounding a little shy for the first time. Ai blinked, having forgotten about the offer this morning but nodded his head quickly.

“Of course!” He groaned when Momo leaped at him again, wrapping his arms around him in return with a little sigh. “Make sure you wear a sweater, please.”

“Sure thing, Aichi!” Momo laughed, ruffling Ai's hair and making it stand up from the static before bounding off to his own small pile of clothes. Ai yanked both his sweater off, wrinkling his nose at the smell and reminding himself they'd have to do laundry in the next few days. He dug through his own clothes and groaned when he realized he didn't have another one clean, brushing hair out of his eyes before resorting to stealing a jacket from Seijuurou's clothes instead. He'd always liked the bigger clothes anyways-- feeling like he could hide inside the fabric. He rolled the sleeves to reveal his hands and chose to ignore Momo chuckling at him.

He dug in his wallet until he was sure he had enough cash left from his last check to cover food, breathing out a relieved sigh and looking at Momo with a bright grin. “Alright. Burgers?”

“Yes!” Momo pumped a fist in the air before grabbing Ai's arm and wrenching the door open. Ai laughed softly, glancing subtly to make sure Momo's registration mark was covered by his hoodie. He had one with a sleeve starting to separate and Ai was getting desperate to replace it. Technically, marks weren't supposed to be covered at all in public, but it was hard to actually get into any decent store if you had one. Besides, Momo didn't look threatening enough to get checked for a mark by almost anybody.

Momo practically flew down the stairs, dragging Ai a step behind him and sucking in a sharp lungful of air when they reached the street, throwing his hands up and laughing. “Ahh! It's been so long since we've been out!”

Ai nodded, laughing softly and letting Momo take his time on the walk to the small burger joint a few blocks away. He seemed entirely unaware of the increase in police, even if Ai couldn't help but notice. He was left praying none had noted his description earlier and he stuck slightly closer to Momo than usual. He was thankful of his blissful ignorance of the world churning around him, of Ai's own nerves, the tips of his fingers never going quite entirely tangible.

Not for the first time he wished Seijuurou would just come home. Momo was a handful enough when his moods were good, and the looming specter of their rent and bills being due in three days hadn't escaped Ai's thoughts, nor had the nearly empty fridge or the dwindling supply of clean clothes. Not to mention, when people realized he was gone they were more vulnerable to someone breaking in and robbing them, or grabbing one of them for a gang. Even if Makoto didn't seem interested in forcing anyone, they weren't the only gang in the area.

By the time they reached the diner, Ai was practically shaking, breathing unsteadily in a way that made Momo frown and touch his shoulder gently. “A-Aichi? What's wrong?”

“N-nothing,” Ai squeaked, shaking his head and letting out a slow breath. “S-sorry Momo-kun, I just got distracted.”

“You're worried about nii-chan,” he mumbled softly, taking Ai's wrist in his hand and looking down at his transparent fingers with a frown. “He's not on a job?”

“I-I'm not sure,” Ai responded, looking down at his feet and closing his eyes tightly. He tried to focus on the feeling of Momo holding onto him, the reminder that he was solid and tangible and real, that he wasn't going to fade away entirely and be lost. “He's just-- been gone too long.”

“He'll come home soon,” Momo was quieter than normal, subdued, but he still sounded certain. He nodded his head when Ai looked up, smiling slowly. “Nothing's gonna happen to him, he'll be back.”

Ai smiled slowly in return, nodding his head and pushing the door open with a confidence that he didn't feel. “Right, of course.”

 

When he drags himself to work the next day he's, if it's possible, even more tired than usual. Momo had filled their meal and the short walk they took after with enjoyable chatter, relaying a story that Nagisa had told him and making Ai smile, easing the weight that had made its home in the middle of his chest.

But after Momo went to bed, Ai's panic crept back up, forcing him to spend most of the night seated staring at the door, heart pounding with the certainty that they were either about to get caught or robbed at any moment. That someone was going to come in and see the pile of money and think that Momo was a thief and drag him away, or that Makoto was going to change his mind and someone was going to threaten to kill them both unless Ai started stealing for them.

He didn't get much sleep.

He stared down at the otters flitting through the water with a little sigh, shuffling a bucket of clams into their enclosure and watching them zip after them with a detached smile. The otters were possibly his favorite feeding spot; he was always a little worried that he'd lose control too close to the sharks and wind up phasing himself right into the thank. His eyes drooped slightly as he watched them play, and when there was a tap on his shoulder he jolted almost violently, shaking his head hard.

It took him a moment to realize that he was staring at the same officer he'd met the day before and he smiled quickly to cover his nerves, squeezing his hands to make sure they were still solid. Matsuoka looked at him with a strange expression, his eyebrows settled tight together and cheeks splashed with red.

“H-hello again,” Ai offered quietly, trying not to glance at the hand still resting on his shoulder. He had the same kind of warmth that Momo did, Ai noted, the kind that made him feel all the way real. It was disconcerting coming from a stranger, especially one who could easily ruin his entire life.

“I- I didn't get your name yesterday,” he grumbled after a moment, a slow smile breaking over his face. Ai couldn't help but compare the sharpness of it to the sharks he was used to feeding. “Uh, I'm Rin.”

“A-Aiichirou,” he answered quietly, blinking his eyes in surprise. Why was this officer asking him that? Did he suspect something? “N-Nitori Aiichirou.”

“O-okay, Nitori-kun,” he sounded even more awkward than before. Ai wanted to run. “Do you think, um, when you're done here... maybe you and I could get dinner or something?”

Ai's mind went totally blank, his ears filling up with buzzing white static. He nodded his head. There was no intent attached to it, no thought, just a slow up and down motion while he tried to actually think again. Rin's tiny smile morphed into a grin, showing off an array of sharp teeth. His hand dropped slowly and he nodded, digging a business card out of his pocket.

“That's great! I guess you get off when this place closes, right? I'll meet you outside,” he passed the card into Ai's hand and Ai smiled out of reflex, tucking it in his pocket. He realized far too late what he was actually agreeing to and he blinked his eyes. He could feel his hand starting to fade and in desperation, he swallowed and nodded his head harder.

“Y-yes! Outside. After closing. That sounds g-great,” he stumbled his way, though, clinging the bucket in his hand tighter and praying that he wouldn't drop it. Rin nodded and walked away with a blush stained over his face and the back of his neck.

Ai noticed, belatedly, that he didn't have the taller partner with him today, and rather than walking around showing people the picture that he'd had before, he ducked his shoulders and walked straight out instead.

With a soft sigh Ai moved to lean his hand on the edge of the tank and only succeeded in phasing his whole arm through it, smacking the side of his head on the lip and leaping back with a shout. Several people turned to stare and he was glad his arm was solid enough to press against his head. People lost interest quickly realizing he was fine and Ai swallowed his heart back down from his throat, rubbing his temples.

 

Work seemed to rush by him at an unstoppable pace after that and Ai couldn't stop worrying about the date the entire time. If it were anyone other than a TRS officer, he might have even been excited about it. It was the first time he could remember being actually asked out (rather than just propositioned on his way home, which happened plenty). Of course, if he got nervous and phased through anything it would ruin his entire life and Momo would be left fending for himself until they decided to release Ai. Which they wouldn't, because as far as he knew, phasers were never released back into the public.

His hands were shaking by the time he reached the doors and he wondered if he could come up with some sort of excuse to get out of this date. He shouldered it open, glad everything stayed solid and blinked furiously at Rin standing there with a small smile. His uniform, the only thing Ai had seen him in before, was gone. Instead, his civilian clothes were dark and nicely fitted and Ai was just glad he'd found a different baggy sweater in his locker that didn't smell like fish to change into.

He would definitely be excited for this if he didn't feel like his heart was going to beat out of his chest at any moment. Rin's gaze practically sparkled when he stepped out, pushing hair back from his face. It was longer than it had seemed with his cap on, hanging almost to his shoulders. “Hey, there you are.”

Ai inclined his head and smiled slightly. He could do this, this wouldn't be so bad. He just had to do what Seijuurou was always telling him and stay calm. He squeezed his hands to try and relax the quiver in them. “T-thank you for waiting! I'm sorry-- I didn't have any nicer clothes with me...”

“Ah that's no problem,” Rin waved his hand and smiled even wider. “We can just go somewhere casual if you're fine with that.”

“Oh,” Ai realized he had no idea what kind of places there even were to eat on this side of the city. He nodded slowly, rubbing the back of his neck in an effort to cover it going red slowly. “That sounds fine.”

Rin nodded, and Ai followed quickly after him when he started walking. He almost balked when Rin paused next to a motorcycle, grabbing an extra helmet off the back and offering it with a small grin. He seemed to catch Ai's nervousness because it faded quickly. “Sorry, I don't actually have a car. We can walk somewhere if you want.”

He was going to phase through that motorcycle while it was roaring down the road, he could feel it. But he smiled, taking the helmet and shrugging his shoulders. Calm. He could handle this, this wasn't that bad. He sucked in a deep breath before sliding himself on the back, strapping the helmet on with quick, clumsy fingers. He couldn't seem to find the spot that would actually hold the strap and Rin chuckled warmly, leaning over and sliding it through the loop, his hand lingering just slightly on Ai's chin.

“Ya know, that helmet makes everyone else look like a dork, but it looks pretty cute on you,” his grin widened slightly, sliding his own on before stretching his leg over the bike so he was seated comfortably. Ai gripped tightly on the edge of the seat while it rumbled to life under him and Rin looked back, raising an eyebrow and laughing quietly. “You'll probably be better off if you hold onto me instead.”

Ai blinked before nodding and unlatching his fingers slowly from the leather of the seat, reaching out slowly and wrapping his arms around Rin's waist, trying not to grip on too tightly. He was stunningly warm and despite the embarrassment of it, he slid forward so he was leaning slightly against Rin's back. He seemed to take this as more nervousness because he patted Ai's arm gently. “Don't worry. I've never crashed this thing.”

Rin driving the bike badly hadn't even actually occurred to Ai. He nudged gently away from the curb before the engine truly rumbled to life and the bike zipped into the weak flow of traffic. As soon as it started actually moving, Ai tightened his grip around Rin, squeezing his eyes shut tightly and pressing his face into the curve of his shoulders. He was hidden from the wind that way, and surprisingly, some of his nervousness eased. It helped that the only numbness he felt in his fingers was from the wind cooling them as it rushed by.

They probably didn't go very far, or if they did it was hard for Ai to tell because of the speed, but Rin stopped at a curb with a small laugh, turning the engine off. Ai didn't unlatch his hands right away and Rin reached down, curling both his hands around Ai's and squeezing them slightly.

“Geez, you get cold,” he chuckled, lifting Ai's hands and blowing on them gently before letting go. Ai felt himself flush, nodding weakly and blinking as a natural smile actually climbed its way onto his face. It was easier to unbuckle the helmet by himself, and Rin offered him a hand to help slide off the bike. Ai wasn't even sure what part of Tokyo they were in any more-- huge steel and glass buildings loomed all the way up to the sky and Rin's hand was soft at his elbow, steering him inside a small restaurant smashed in between two of the huge towers. “I actually know the chef here, let me see if he's got a spot we can grab.”

Rin winked, walking past the hostess with a small nod in her direction and pushing the door to the kitchen open with an elbow. He poked his head inside, cocking it sideways. “Oi, Haru?”

Even without the name there was no way Ai couldn't have recognized the chef. He leaned away from the stove and looked at Rin with a tiny frown, even though there was amusement in his eyes. “No free meal.”

“Be nice, I just want a table,” he laughed softly. Haru rolled his eyes, pulling his hat off and raising an eyebrow at Ai. His eyes didn't widen in recognition, but there was a tiny downward twitch to his mouth.

“For your date,” he intoned seriously and Rin's face flushed as he nodded. Haru glanced at Ai again before nodding his head with a small sigh. “Tell Akane to give you the chef's table. Don't expect anything special, it's too troublesome.”

“Sure thing, thanks,” Rin laughed, letting the door swing shut and lacing his fingers through Ai's without hesitating. The hostess did turn to look at him now, raising an eyebrow as he gave her a thumbs up and a cocky grin. “I've been approved.”

“I can't believe Nanase-san still even lets you in here,” she shook her head, grabbing a pair of menus and nodding Rin at a table sitting not too far from the doors to the kitchen, rolling her eyes. “You know people make reservations to eat here.”

“I think I made one once,” he shrugged, only letting go of Ai's hand to tug the chair out, pink at the tips of his ears. “There's supposed to be perks to having childhood friends, right?”

The hostess, presumably Akane, just sighed and set the menus down, giving Ai a sweet smile. “I'll bring some water for you and Mr. Childhood Friend.”

“S-so you've known the chef for a long time?” Ai swallowed slightly before asking. He figured he was fairly safe in assuming that Rin didn't know that his friend was both Unregistered and a gang member. Rin nodded, smile softer at the edges but still sharp.

“We used to be rivals when we were both swimmers,” he blinked, a frown crossing over his face. “We both took different paths in life but since we were so close by we haven't lost touch or anything.”

“T-that's really nice,” Ai smiled and it again felt surprisingly real. As long as he didn't account for what amounted to a second, secret life on Haru's end. He let out a soft, slow breath, unfolding the menu. “I live with a pair of brothers that I've known since I was little.”

“That must be interesting,” Rin raised an eyebrow and Ai puffed a small laugh, nodding.

“They're both very... energetic. It's hard to keep up with them,” he smiled, letting his eyes trace over the various food offerings. The prices made him frown, counting up mentally how much cash he had left after treating Momo. He was going to have to arrange another job-- this would mean dipping into their last one to fill the fridge again and keep Momo from going stir crazy. When he shook the thought away he looked up to find Rin staring out the wall-length window, his brow furrowed intensely.

Ai followed his gaze with a small blink, his heart clawing his way into his throat instantly. There was a trio of men outside, a teenage boy in the center of them, curled on the pavement with his arms covering his head. Even too far away to read it, the registration mark on his shoulder was impossible to miss. Before Akane could even reach for the phone Ai stood, not bothering to excuse himself, pushing his way through people with a frown on his face..

Rin stood, tracing after him, clenching his hands into fists though Ai barely noticed it. He didn't even consider the danger of trying to do it in front of an officer; he could make them stop of he could phase a hand through the chest of one or two of them-- not enough to kill them, but certainly enough to knock them out. He'd done it enough times when someone had tried to mug him to be aware of exactly what he had to do.

Rin was outside before him, pressing a hand to Ai's chest in an attempt to keep him back, a frown etched on his face in hard lines. “Oi! Now might be a good time for you three to run off.”

One's head snapped up, his gaze zeroing in on the badge in Rin's hand. He put both his hands up and took a step back, laughing. The other two followed suit, grins over their faces. “No trouble officer, just helpin' out with your job.”

Rin's frown grew harder, a growl working its way into his voice. “Fuck off right now or I'm arresting all three of you for assault.”

That seemed to sink in quickly, and they turned and took off, calling curses back over their shoulders. Ai found himself staring in shock, still holding the door open as Rin leaned on one knee next to the boy, helping him sit up slowly. “Hey kid, are you alright?”

“I- I wasn't doing anything,” he squeaked out, leaning back from Rin's hands quickly. Rin nodded, holding them out in front of him in a placating gesture.

“I know. You're not in any kind of trouble,” he pushed hair back from his face, smiling slightly. “I just wanna make sure you're not hurt, okay?”

The boy nodded slowly, his eyes going wide in surprise. Ai could feel himself mirroring the expression, certain that he'd never seen anyone, especially a Registration Squad officer actually check on the well-being of someone Registered. Rin's eyes scanned over the mark with a slight twitch of his mouth and he pressed a hand into the boy's side gently, nodding when he hissed.

“You might wanna get your ribs looked at. They don't feel broken, but bruised ones are still pretty nasty,” he sighed, rubbing the back of his neck and staring him straight in the eyes, frowning. “I'm sorry that happened to you. I don't have a card on me but I can give you my number and you can call me if anyone else give you trouble, alright?”

The boy nodded his head dumbly and Rin pushed himself up with a small sigh, ducking his head in and borrowing Akane's order pad and pen, scribbling a cell phone number on it and passing it over to the boy who was anxiously bouncing by the door, glancing Ai over and looking away quickly. There was a little current that seemed to pass through him, the tiny recognition of Ai as Unregistered that made him look away before his glance could even seem suspicious. Rin handed over the ripped sheet with a nod of his head.

“That's my personal phone. You call that any time and me or my partner will help you out however we can,” he smiled slightly, patting the boy's shoulder and laughing softly. “I'm Rin, so you know who you're calling.”

“T-Takeda,” he stumbled out before bowing, teeth grit in obvious discomfort. To Ai's near-shock Rin simply returned the gesture before giving him a more casual wave, setting his hand on the back of Ai's neck and leading him back inside. Ai dropped heavily into the seat, struggling to make his brain process what had just happened. Rin looked at him with a half-smile on his face.

“So, do you often charge into fights where you're outnumbered and half their size or is that like-- a seduction technique?” Rin laughed as he said it and Ai's face went red, mouth dropping open slightly. He ducked into himself slightly, shaking his head but smiling a little.

“I didn't really think very hard about it,” Ai mumbled, tracing a formless pattern onto the stiff, white tablecloth. Rin nodded, staring at him oddly until Ai lifted his head. “I just-- I don't like bullies.”

“You don't strike me as much of a fighter, regardless,” he leaned back slightly, raising an eyebrow. Ai shrugged his shoulders, sitting up a little further.

“I wasn't planning on a fight, I just figured if I made a scene they would leave,” or... something along those lines. He wasn't planning to fight, at least. Rin's eyebrows pulled together and he shook his head with a slight sigh, and the gesture reminded Ai so much of Seijuurou that it startled a laugh out of him. Rin blinked, looking like he wasn't sure if he should be offended. “Sorry, sorry. You just-- you looked like one of my uh, roommates. He acts like a big brother to me and he does that same thing.”

Rin laughed as well, rolling his eyes and shaking his head, taking a small sip of his water. “Obviously your roommate is smart then. Do you have family in the city?”

“Oh--” Ai blinked at the question, his stomach sinking. He shook his head slowly, flushing and looking quickly down at the menu. “N-no, they're gone.”

“Shit, sorry,” Rin shook his head quickly, rubbing the back of his neck with a frown. “It's hard to remember how many people the uprisings affected. I lost my dad too.”

Ai blinked slowly, lifting his head and nodding. He squeezed the corner of the cloth in his hand, feeling the slight reassurance. He was here, he was _real_. “I- I've lived with my roommates since.”

“So they're your family,” Rin sounded so sure of it and Ai blinked slightly before shrugging his shoulders and letting his eyes skitter away.

“We're close,” he answered instead because counting himself as part of Seijuurou and Momo's family felt strange for him. It wasn't as if it had ever come up between the three of them. He suddenly felt guilty for not letting Momo know he would be home late. He chewed on his lip, glancing at the light starting to fade outside. Momo would be alright, he supposed, and he could always see Nagisa and Rei if he was lonely and maybe Seijuurou would be home by the time Ai got there.

“So is working for the aquarium fun?” Rin asked after they placed their orders and Ai blinked, shrugging and smiling slightly.

“It isn't bad, except I always smell like gross fish,” he wrinkled his nose, shrugging. “I like the otters and the sharks.”

“The sharks are my sister's favorite,” Rin laughed softly, cocking his head. “Do you ever get scared of like, falling in?”

Ai laughed and nodded his head eagerly. “Every day, though, I doubt they would eat me. It doesn't make it less scary, though.”

“I can imagine,” Rin grinned, leaning forward and letting his tone drop to a whisper. “Have you ever pet one?”

“Once,” Ai nodded, whispering as well. He held out his hand, crooking his finger to make a small hook. “They have these little bristles on their skin, like this. It feels weird.”

Rin's eyes went wide and he nodded eagerly, making Ai think it wasn't just his sister who liked sharks. He grinned a little wider, cocking his head to the side. “You remind me of them, too.”

He blinked, laughing and raising an eyebrow. “Because of the teeth?”

“A little, but it's more in the attitude,” Ai shrugged, leaning back as their food was set down in front of them. “They look scary, but honestly most of them are pretty docile.”

“You're the only person to ever describe me as docile,” he laughed, pushing hair back from his face. “Especially after getting the treat of watching me threaten troublemakers.”

“You were protecting someone,” Ai pointed out, glancing down at his food and struggling to keep his tone even. “Someone most people wouldn't stand up for.”

“You were going to do the same thing. Without a badge,” Rin pointed out and Ai glanced up to see his eyes narrowed just a little. He felt stripped a little too raw under those eyes and found himself wishing he hadn't said anything at all. He gripped his chopsticks tighter, trying to ignore the slight fade of his fingers.

“L-like I said,” Ai flicked his eyes up and swallowed hard, shrugging with a great effort, feeling the full weight of his lie on his shoulders. “I don't like bullies.”

“Well,” Rin chuckled softly, shrugging as well. “I don't either.”

 

Riding the motorcycle back was far less terrifying than the first trip had been, and this time Ai was even feeling brave enough to lift his face away from Rin's back and watch the lights of the city zoom by. He told Rin he lived closer to the outskirts, past the aquarium, rather than out in the slums where he actually was. It was later than he liked usually, but the walk home shouldn't be too terrible. Rin slowed to a stop at the street Ai had given him, letting him climb off and slide the helmet off his head with a little chuckle at the pink on his cheeks and the disheveled state of his hair.

“You definitely make the dorky helmet look cute,” he grinned and Ai giggled softly, rolling his eyes. He was struggling to think of some excuse that would prevent Rin from trying to walk him back to his apartment (which was nowhere nearby) and was saved by the bright chirp of Rin's phone from his pocket.

He cursed, shifting to pull it out and frowning at the message, shaking his head hard. “Shit, sorry. It's my partner, I have to meet him.”

“Oh,” Ai blinked furiously, trying to make himself sound disappointed rather than relieved. “T-that's fine, really. I um, I had a good time.”

He even meant it when he said it. Rin was-- surprising, to say the least. He grinned, leaning forward and kissing him softly, careful not to bump his helmet against Ai's head. Ai blinked furiously before kissing back, chasing the soft warmth of his lips a little when Rin sat back down. “I'll make sure to stop by and see the sharks again.”

He winked before turning the bike around and zipping back down the street at twice the speed he'd been traveling with Ai on the back, seated low and close to the front. Ai tried not to dwell on the fact that his first kiss was with a cop, turning and walking home, only pressing his hand to his lips once to feel the curious warmth of them.

 

Momo was fast asleep on the worn couch when Ai finally made it back in, and he noticed with a small cringe that the money had been neatly set into groups. Despite the show he'd made of protesting, he was glad Rin had paid for the meal. It left him enough to get food for Momo at least, noticing with a frown that there were only two stacks of bills in their 'extra' pile. He'd end up passing one off under Nagisa's door and he considered what Rei had said for a moment, wondering if they should be clinging to every penny they got.

It didn't feel right to do, he decided. It would help Nagisa more than it would them, once all their expenses were handled. The electricity could be high or low, depending on what kind of week Momo was having, and everything else required much more than Ai made at his job.

With a sigh, he tucked the worries into the back of his mind, leaning over to shake Momo's shoulder gently. He was stretched over the whole couch, and Ai was struck by the realization that Momo had gotten taller-- his pants closer to his calves than his ankles. His mouth was stretched open in sleep, drool on his cheek. He stifled a laugh, shaking Momo again.

He rolled over, looking up at Ai with bleary eyes, still mostly asleep, smiling. “Mom?”

Ai drew back quickly, snapping his hand away and feeling his fingertips quiver. He barely remembered his own parents faces, but he knew from the photo that the brother's had, Momo's mother had blue eyes. He swallowed hard, trying to swallow down the strangely guilty feeling hollowing out his chest. “M-Momo it's me.”

Momo rubbed at his eyes, seeming unaware of what he'd said, groaning softly. “Aichi? Why are you so late?”

“I-- I got asked out on a date,” Ai blinked, ducking back quickly enough when Momo sat up to avoid being headbutted in the face. Momo frowned, shaking his head.

“Who's trying to take advantage of my brother? Do I have to fight him?” He lifted his fists up quickly and Ai wasn't sure if he should be more stuck on the first question or the second. He stared dumbly for a moment.

“N-no! He was nice,” how did Momo know that he would be on a date with a guy? He didn't really want the answer to that, he decided. He did, however, lament growing up without a room for himself or even a door. Clearly Momo had more things figured out than Ai had thought. “R-really, I had a nice time.”

Momo nodded his head slowly, smiling. “Did he kiss you?”

Ai flushed instantly, probably answering the question before he nodded his head. Momo crowed in victory, laughing and pumping his fist in the air. “Nice going Aichi! Too bad nii-chan is gonna kill him for it.”

“I hope not,” Ai glanced away, laughing softly. “I'd actually like to see him again, maybe.”


	2. Hold My End Up

 

At the start, Momo never meant to actually be in a position of lying to his brothers. And it was lying, even if neither of them had ever actually told him he _couldn't_  go out, or said that he _couldn't_  ask Nagisa to teach him how he could help them pay for things. He knew it wasn't the life that either Ai or Seijuurou wanted for him, but he had to do _something_  to help them.

 

He couldn't live his life trapped in the apartment as their burden just because he was Registered. He waited roughly half an hour after Ai left for work before unlocking the door and ducking out himself, locking it after him. Ai never carried keys, or even really opened the door, but they still had the money from Ai's last bank job in piles on the floor, and Momo didn't want to make it easier for anyone to break in and steal it.

 

He tapped his knuckles against Nagisa's door with a grin, saluting when the smaller blond opened it up with a matching smile on his face. “Momo-chan!”

 

“Good morning, Nagisachi,” he chirped in return, stepping out of the way to let the smaller boy out the door passed him. He wondered why Nagisa stuck with the look he did; small, fluffy blond hair and bright magenta eyes. He'd been able to change himself into anything that Momo could come up with (at least anyone human, otters were apparently a no-go). He wondered, not for the first time, if this was how Nagisa looked naturally or if there was some other reason behind his choice. The question lived on the tip of his tongue, but he stopped, remembering Ai lecturing him about asking questions that might make other people uncomfortable.

 

“We have to go someplace else first today,” Nagisa sighed softly, his voice low and conspiratorial despite the fact that Momo was pretty sure Rei wasn't around. He was always gone early, even before Ai most of the time. “I have to talk to Mako-chan about some things.”

 

“M- Makoto the gang leader?” His voice stumbled despite himself and Nagisa waved his hand with a small giggle.

 

“Mako-chan is super nice, don't worry!” He giggled, his face settling into a pout. “But apparently he and Haru-chan saw us over at Block 8 and they probably want to check on me.”

 

“A- are you gonna be in trouble?” Momo asked, frowning slightly. He couldn't imagine being in trouble with a gang would be good. Nagisa seemed untroubled by the idea, chuckling softly and rolling his eyes.

 

“If I am then it just means Mako-chan is gonna make me eat my vegetables and go to bed on time,” he laughed, looping his arm through Momo's. He hadn't met any of Nagisa's other gang friends, except for Rei, and he only had 'gang' as a reference for what they might be like. He stopped seemingly at random, craning his head back to look up at the building before rapping on the door.

 

Momo jolted back when it was opened by a tall boy, smoking a cigarette with swoopy brown hair pushed away from his eyes, a shorter blond leaning on the wall behind him and rolling his eyes. The tall one holding the door looked tired, bags hanging under his eyes. He nodded Nagisa inside but stared at Momo.

 

“Leave my friend alone, Kazu-chan,” Nagisa scolded, glancing at the two of them then smiling at Momo. “That's Kazuki, the angry one is--”

 

He stopped, looking around with his eyebrows pinched together, frowning suddenly and turning back to Kazuki. “Where's Taku-chan?”

 

“Uozumi is missing,” the other blond snapped, his fingers tapping a restless rhythm on the wall behind him. Nagisa blinked, glancing up at Kazuki and patting his side. He seemed, for the first time to Momo, at a loss for what he should say. Kazuki dropped the cigarette, stomping it out under his heel and breathing out a cloud of smoke that tinged black at the end.

 

“Your boyfriend helped a couple TRS officers sniff us out the other day, and Tachibana-san's creepy psychic didn't see fit to warn us and he got grabbed,” he rubbed a palm over his forehead, ignoring Nagisa's frown at the descriptions. “Toru went and checked in on his Registration, but they said they never had anyone named Takuya Uozumi.”

 

“Didn't that happen to Aki-chan too?” Nagisa frowned, looking back at the boy who Momo figured was Toru. He nodded, skating a hand over his buzzed undercut and frowning.

 

“Same exact thing. TRS grabbed him in a raid but said they had no one by that name,” he must have noticed the tattoo on Momo's shoulder because he scoffed a little. “Your friend's Registered, Hazuki-kun?”

 

Momo didn't shrink away from them but did nod his head, rolling the sleeve of his t-shirt up slightly so it was clearer. He knew exactly what it said without looking. _#40257. Elemental-class. Electric-type. Low Risk._

 

Toru whistled slightly, nodding his head and leaning against the wall again. He doesn't look angry, or at least looks less angry than he did before, an eyebrow cocked curiously. “Was it nasty? What do they do?”

 

Momo blinked, not sure if anyone had ever actually asked him before. Next to him Nagisa looked a little pale for a second, his eyebrow twitching and his mouth twisting into a joyless smile. “Don't be rude now, Toru-chan.”

 

Despite their similar height and the fact that Momo could see a knife tucked into Toru's belt he balked, turning away and pushing himself off the wall. “S- sorry. Curious. We're gonna go ask around about Uozumi-kun.”

 

“That sounds like a good plan,” Nagisa chirped, shooing him and Kazuki out the door before nodding Momo up the stairs with a small giggle. He wasn't sure if he'd ever felt afraid of Nagisa before, but it was definitely there now. He took the stairs in small hops, apparently entirely back to normal, chirping when he saw Rei leaning casually outside the only door on the level. He looked up, smiling at Nagisa before he noticed Momo, shaking his head hard.

 

“N- Nagisa-kun! Why do you have Mikoshiba-kun with you?” He seemed entirely scandalized and Momo wanted to instantly beg him _not_  to tell Ai about this. He would have if Nagisa didn't smile, his voice smooth as velvet.

 

“Momo-chan was feeling lonely, so I offered to take him with me today,” he smiled and Rei shook his head hard, pushing his glasses up.

 

“T- this is hardly an appropriate place for him to be! He's far too young, and Mikoshiba-san and Nitori-kun were incredibly clear that they did not want him involved--”

 

“Aichi's been here?” Momo asked, blinking his eyes hard. He knew Ai sometimes had to get involved with things he didn't want to, but he had always made it clear that he had no interest in being part of a gang, to the point of arguing with Seijuurou about it. Momo figured it was because out of the three of them, Ai was by far the strongest, to the point where he was more than he could control himself.

 

It didn't help that despite his elaborate bank robbing ways, Ai didn't want any of them to be criminals. Momo frowned, shaking his head as Rei stared dumbly at him. “W- why was he here?”

 

“W- well he wasn't... _here_ , per say,” he stumbled out, shaking his head and opening the door quickly, swallowing so hard that Momo thought it must have hurt his throat. “W- why don't you discuss it with Makoto-senpai.”

 

Nagisa giggled, bouncing in and pulling Rei with him, Momo following a step behind, rubbing the back of his head with confusion. He was surprised when he actually recognized Makoto as someone Seijuurou was friends with; big, with kind eyes and a warm smile over his face. The black haired boy standing by the window was unfamiliar to Momo, but he didn't seem interested until Nagisa bounded over and wrapped him in a warm hug.

 

“Haru-chan! It's been forever!” He chirped, and Haru placed a hand on his shoulder with a small sigh rather than hugging him back, but Momo thought he might have smiled.

 

“It's been three days, Nagisa,” he sighed again, leaning his elbows on the window sill when Nagisa let go of him. Makoto crossed his arms, turning to Nagisa with a frown.

 

“Can you tell me what you've been up to this week, please?” He intoned, and Momo had to swallow a laugh at the tone of his voice. It was like when Ai scolded him to go to bed or reminded him of what food was in the fridge; pure mothering concern. Nagisa wilted.

 

“I wasn't doing anything _bad_ , Mako-chan,” he slumped his shoulders in slightly, poking his fingers in front of him. Makoto sighed, shaking his head.

 

“I'm certain I saw you down in the redlight district Nagisa,” he didn't relent, but he did glance at Rei, who was carefully looking anywhere but Nagisa. That made him lift his head with a furious blink, looking between Makoto and Rei quickly.

 

“I w- wasn't--” he blinked, materializing in front of Rei in two quick steps, grabbing both his hands and giving them a squeeze. “I wasn't doing _that_ , I was teaching!”

 

Rei blinked, looking down at Nagisa with his face softening by the second. Momo resisted the urge to make gagging noises. He'd caught them kissing in the hall more than once. Haru rolled his eyes. “Teaching what.”

 

“T- teaching me,” Momo offered, jolting when both Haru and Makoto turned to stare at him. It was slightly unnerving, but he swallowed hard, puffing his chest out and looking back at them, pressing his thumb to the center of his chest with a nod. “I want to join!”

 

At the very least, neither of them laughed at him. Makoto frowned slightly and Haru looked away, apparently bored by the declaration. Rei turned to glare at Nagisa, shaking his head slightly. “W- what have you been teaching Mikoshiba-kun?”

 

His voice sailed shrill, like the call of some great, distressed bird. Nagisa giggled, shaking his head and apparently ignoring Makoto's plain disapproval as well. “Just... some basic survival things!”

 

“So lying to cops and picking pockets,” Haru supplied and Nagisa shrugged his shoulders. Makoto sighed slightly, leaning his elbows on his knees.

 

“Mikoshiba-kun,” he looked directly at Momo, frowning softly and squeezing his hands together. “Why is it you want to join us?”

 

He flopped into the seat that faced Makoto's, frowning in return. “My brothers have to do a lot to take care of me, and since I'm Registered I can't even get a real job to help them.”

 

“Brothers?” Makoto's brow furrowed slightly and Momo nodded.

 

“A-Ai and Seijuurou. Both of them work all the time and still can't bring home enough money for all three of us,” he frowned, looking down at his hands. “I'm just-- dead weight on them.”

 

“I'm sure neither of them feels that way,” Makoto's voice was soft and Momo was surprised when he stood, rubbing one large hand over his shoulders gently. “In fact, I've met them both and I could tell how much they care about you.”

 

“I wanna be able to care for them too,” he looked up, stubbornly telling himself he was not going to cry while asking a gang to let him join. “Aichi is panicking all the time and nii-chan almost never gets to come home and just spend time with us now. N- Nagisachi says that I learn things quick with him, and I know I can be a good thief!”

 

Makoto glanced up at Haru with a small frown on his face, hesitating before pulling his hand back and regarding Momo seriously. “Did you tell either of them you were doing this?”

 

“No,” Momo answered sullenly, drooping his head again. “Aichi would probably have a fit and be intangible for days and nii-chan hasn't been home in over a week.”

 

“A week? Is that normal?” Haru's voice broke in suddenly and Momo shook his head, looking up and blinking.

 

“H- he's on a job, I think. Usually, he only tells Aichi,” he frowned suddenly, pushing himself up. “H- he's not on one, is he?”

 

“Not... not one with us,” Makoto answered softly, glancing around before sighing, seeming to deflate. “They're both going to hate me for this, but I'm worried if we tell you no, you'll feel like you have to go somewhere else.”

 

Momo flushed a little, feeling like they might have had some way of reading his mind. He rubbed the back of his neck before nodding. “I- I was going to talk to the Taiga gang if you said no.”

 

“Then I guess I have to say yes,” Makoto beamed and Momo's chest actually felt warm and light. He pushed himself to his feet, pumping a fist in the air and feeling sparks roll of his fingertips without paying much attention to them.

 

“Yes! Thank you Makoto-senpai!” He quickly stopped his cheering and bowed instead, listening to Makoto's warm laughter above him.

 

“I suppose since he's already taken you under his wing you can stick with Nagisa. He does delivery jobs when we have them, like today.”

 

“Oh, a job?” Nagisa sparkled, taking the envelope that Haru offered him with a grin and a wink. “I'll get it there right away for ya, Mako-chan!”

 

“You can take your normal cut when you drop it off and give Mikoshiba-kun his as well. The rest you need to take to Sasabe-san in Block 3,” Makoto rubbed a hand through his hair, frowning slightly. “Don't skim any off the rest.”

 

“I would never,” Nagisa gasped in shock that sounded even feigned to Momo. He popped up on his toes, kissing Rei's cheek before giving Momo a grin. “Let's go Momo! I'll show you how to do hand-offs with scary men.”

 

“That sounds awesome, Nagisachi!” He followed after Nagisa in a hurry, wondering if all gangs acted like they did. He figured, judging by Makoto's personality and his reluctance to have Momo go anywhere else, probably not. Still, they had a reputation, Momo supposed that he would have to be wary anyway.

 

 

The first thing he learned was that hand-off to scary men was not as awesome as he thought, really. Nagisa tucked the envelope that Makoto had given him into his jacket and rather than holding it protectively around him like Momo would have been inclined to, he seemed like he was in no hurry to get anywhere. Instead, he chattered easily at Momo, explaining how he'd been friends with Makoto since he was little, and how Makoto was totally in love with Haru, and how he'd convinced Rei to come and be Makoto's bodyguard to he could get to know him.

 

Momo did his best to keep all the relationships straight in his head, wondering dizzily if Nagisa was going to quiz him on this later. He slowed his pace around Block 4, looking around and smiling. “So, how did you meet Ai-chan?”

 

“Oh,” Momo blinked, not expecting the question. He smiled slowly, tucking his hands in his pockets. “Nii-chan found him wandering around alone after the uprisings. And Aichi, when he gets really scared he can't make his form tangible, so he was floating around and couldn't even grab stuff for a few days after nii-chan asked him to stay with us.”

 

“Woah, really?” Nagisa blinked his eyes, considering. “I noticed that he was a phaser, but I didn't know he had so much trouble with it.”

 

“Yeah,” Momo rubbed the back of his neck with a sigh. “Aichi doesn't talk about anything before we were all together, so I don't know how he ended up all alone.”

 

“He's the Phantom Thief they're trying to catch, right?” Nagisa's grin widened when Momo nodded his head. “Mako-chan is really hoping he decides to join up.”

 

“Good luck with that,” Momo chuckled softly, shaking his head. “Niichan might someday, but I doubt you could talk Aichi into it.”

 

“Why is that? It's not like he's selfish with his money,” Nagisa blinked and Momo sighed a little, leaning his head back on his palms.

 

“It's not about the money. Phasers are always in trouble because they're the best criminals out there. Aichi doesn't want to be a criminal, and he _really_  doesn't want to be one for someone else,” Momo shook his head, rubbing his hair into the static charge from his palms and making it prickle and stand on end. “Really, I think he's just scared of people using him."

 

Nagisa stopped at the mouth of an alleyway, not looking over his shoulder once, pulling a brick out of the wall and exchanging the envelope in his jacket for a different one before jamming the brick back into place and nodding at the dark-haired man standing maybe ten feet away. He kept walking, Momo a step behind.

 

“H- how do you know he won't try and take the money back from you?” He kept his voice hushed but couldn't stop the tremble of nerves through it. Nagisa looked at him with the same vicious smile he'd used on Toru earlier.

 

“He wouldn't dare.”

 

 

When they reached the borderline of Block 3, Nagisa gave him a worried look before pulling a small clump of bills from the envelope, passing them to Momo. He stuffed the money in the pocket of his jeans quickly, biting his lip.

 

“You gotta wait here. Until we get your tat covered you can't go into any of the higher blocks without getting in trouble,” Nagisa smiled at him, shrugging his shoulders. “I'll be back in like, half an hour maximum.”

 

“W-what do I do if you're not back?” Momo twitched slightly in place, teeth digging harder into his lip. Nagisa shrugged his shoulders.

 

“Go home, or you can go back to Block 10 and see Mako-chan, or you can go to the redlight and practice the lockpicking thing I showed you,” Nagisa didn't seem very worried about not coming back, and with a wave he ducked back onto the sidewalk, looking totally relaxed still. Momo wondered how much of it was genuine.

 

Ten minutes passed before he started to get worried, jiggling his leg and leaning against a rough brick wall, sparks fizzing off the ends of his hair as excess energy built inside him. He shut his eyes tightly, trying to remember the silly breathing technique that Seijuurou had shown both him and Ai. It'd never worked on Ai, but it helped Momo calm down when he needed to.

 

He was pretty sure there was nothing that could actually make Ai calm down.

 

Momo didn't go out often enough to really expect the cop that stopped and stared at him. He blinked back at him, tilting his head to the side and wondering if he looked suspicious. The officer was just as tall as Makoto, and probably even more built, TRS badge shining on his chest.

 

He stopped less than a foot away and frowned down at Momo, shaking his head. “You know you shouldn't be just standing around like that?”

 

“Why not?” Momo blinked curiously, his forehead furrowing in confusion. There weren't even many people around, and he wasn't doing anything that would bother those that were. The officer sighed, pointing at the tattoo on his shoulder and shaking his head.

 

“You're Registered. It makes people think you're up to something,” his scowl seemed sort of fixed to his face, but Momo couldn't help but notice how pretty his teal eyes were. He shook his head and shrugged.

 

“But I'm not up to anything, I'm just waiting for my friend,” he didn't get the problem. What was he supposed to be doing instead? The officer lifted a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose.

 

“Why don't you just go home, kid? It's safer that way,” he sounded annoyed. Momo scoffed, pulling his hands out of his pockets and crossing his arms over his chest.

 

“Because there's not reason I can't stand here and wait! It's nice out,” he tilted his chin up. The tag on the officer's chest read 'S. Yamazaki'. “Besides, everyone can see I'm a Low Threat, isn't that the point of being Registered?”

 

Well, yes but,” he shook his head hard, still glaring. “That won't change how people look at you.”

 

“People shouldn't be looking at me at all. I'm the one following the law,” Momo kept his head lifted defiantly and he could swear he saw Yamazaki smile just a little bit. He could see Nagisa walking down the street, and actually watched his form change. A pink ripple passed over his whole body, and instead of the Nagisa he was used to, instead he was being approached by a short girl with hair the same color orange as his own and clever yellow eyes, freckles dotting her cheeks and a smile splitting her face.

 

“Momo-nii! There you are!” She jogged the last few steps past Yamazaki, tossing her arms around Momo's neck and making him catch her in a hug. He blushed, despite knowing it wasn't just some cute girl who was interested in her. “Thanks for waiting for me!”

 

“S-sure thing,” he mumbled, glad that his shyness around girls probably only made this seem more normal. She looked up at the officer, blinking her eyes peacefully before bowing.

 

“Oh! My cousin isn't in any trouble, right officer?” She turned quickly to Momo, putting her hands on her hips and frowning. “If you did something I'm telling your brother!”

 

“N- no, no trouble,” Yamazaki shook his head, narrowing his eyes at Momo for a moment before shaking his head and starting to walk away. Nagisa giggled sweetly, throwing her arm around Momo's neck and tugging him along with her. She glanced back at Yamazaki but didn't frown, keeping her voice low.

 

“That's officer Sousuke Yamazaki-- Haru knows him a little,” Nagisa continued the schoolgirl disguise until they rounded the corner, his body rippling again before he was just Nagisa. “He's not bad, really. He was trying to keep you out of trouble, right?”

 

Momo nodded, looking over his shoulder with a frown. “I wasn't even doing anything.”

 

“If it's him or his partner Rin you're pretty lucky,” Nagisa shrugged, dropping his arm and smiling. “They won't do anything but tell you to stay out of trouble. Rin has even arrested people for assaulting Registered's who are getting attacked.”

 

Momo blinked wildly, some of the color draining from his face. “That happens?”

 

“Yeah, sometimes,” he didn't sound as bothered by it as Momo felt, the squirming discomfort in his belly. He looked over his shoulder, intent on asking something else when he spotted a girl walking on the other side of the street. He didn't actually recognize her at all, except that she was cute with her bright red ponytail and natural sort of smile.

 

He didn't think hard about what he was going to say, just darted through the thick congestion of cars separating them with a wide grin on his face. He caught up to her at a jog, resisting the urge to grab her shoulders, worried he might shock her with how excited he was. “Hello!”

 

She turned around slowly, blinking at him and opening her mouth slightly. He shuffled on his feet, bouncing between them with the excess of energy charging in his veins, unable to keep still. “My name is Momotaru Mikoshiba! I live with my two brothers and my hobby is taking apart electronics and putting them back together!”

 

“You're Registered,” she observed evenly, a small frown on her face. Momo deflated just a little, but shrugged his shoulders and turned to show off the tattoo instead. Ai always said he shouldn't be embarrassed of who he was, after all.

 

“Yeah! I'm a Low Threat though, don't worry!” He beamed at her, curling his fingers tightly and releasing them in the same instant. He couldn't help the excitement, even if she didn't seem to find it very contagious. “What's your name?”

 

“Kou,” she answered stiffly, glancing at Nagisa standing at Momo's side now with a deeper frown. She seemed to debate something with herself with a moment before giving them both a weak smile, turning away again. “Maybe I'll see you again, Kintarou-kun.”

 

“Momotaru!” He chirped, not feeling at all bothered by the slip. It was an easy mistake, he figured. Before she was out of sight he caught the bottom of a Registration tattoo on her arm, only able to make out 'High Threat' before she marched through the crowd again. Nagisa stared after her for a moment and he sighed wistfully, leaning on his lower shoulders. “She's so pretty.”

 

“I don't think she's the right kind of girl for you, Momo-chan,” Nagisa giggled, giving Momo's arm a pat. He pouted but didn't ask why, chalking it up to Nagisa just not being interested enough in girls to get it. “Let's get you home before Ai-chan finds you gone and comes after my head.”

 

“It probably wouldn't your head,” Momo commented helpfully, detaching himself from Nagisa's shoulders. “But nii-chan and I have a theory that he could phase someone's heart out of their chest.”

 

He managed to miss the stare of total horror that Nagisa sent at his back, trotting off towards home with a hum.

 

 

He managed to get home and tuck the extra money into the small pile they kept for themselves before Ai came in, on time rather than late for once. Momo lifted his head from dissecting the remote for at least the fourth time, looking over at him with a smile. “Hey Aichi!”

 

He looked slightly dazed, rubbing his eyes and sitting next to Momo with a distant smile on his face. He knew well enough the signs that Ai hadn't been sleeping again and he frowned. “Sei-kun isn't home yet?”

 

“No,” Momo frowned. Seijuurou had officially been gone and out of contact way too long. Ai nodded his head loosely, groaning.

 

“I'll make some time to go talk to someone from the Taiga gang tomorrow,” he sounded frustrated by the prospect and Momo wondered if he should share that he had joined a gang that afternoon. He glanced at Ai's profile, the dark shadows on his pale cheeks, the way he couldn't quite keep his eyes open entirely, staring at his hands with a slight frown.

 

He didn't want to give Ai anything more to worry about.

 

“I- if you want, I can go out and get some food,” he rubbed the back of his neck, expecting an instant no at the idea of him going out by himself. Ai looked at him and then drooped his head with a loud groan.

 

“Groceries! I totally forgot,” he pressed his palms into his forehead, eyes screwed shut. “Do we have money for takeout?”

 

“Yeah, we'll be fine,” he smiled, patting Ai's back and digging out the one cellphone they all shared. It didn't have a plan and Ai was always reminding him that he couldn't use it for texting; they still bought time cards from the store to keep it running. He flipped it over in his hand, grinning. “I'll order from that Thai place you like.”

 

“Thank you Momo-kun. I'm just going to close my eyes for a second, wake me when we need to go get it,” Ai let his head loll onto the back of the couch, his eyes fluttering shut. Momo stood carefully, trying not to make a sound, trailing into the other room to order their food, keeping his voice low.

 

When he finished, Ai was curled on his side on the couch, taking up most of it with his fingers curled into loose fists under his chin. Momo shuffled a little, noting how small he seemed asleep.

 

 

Momo decided not to wake up Ai to go and get their food. The Thai food place wasn't very far away, and he simply grabbed the money he'd brought home that afternoon to pay for it. It was more than he'd expected to make for simply following Nagisa around (he'd expected not to make anything for it).

 

The lady at the counter smiled at him like she always did, though she commented that he wasn't with his cute brothers for once. Momo was used to that-- anybody local was used to seeing him with Ai, who was unfairly adorable, or Seijuurou who people seemed to agree was handsome. Momo draped both bags over his arms, smiling and leaving her a slightly larger tip than they could usually afford.

 

He hummed softly to himself, walking back down the now darkened sidewalk, a slight bounce in his step. He hoped that the food at least would cheer Ai up from his stress, even if he tried to hide his worries from Momo. It was almost impossible in Ai's situation-- if he got too worried about things he lost hist tangibility and it was sort of hard to miss. He was caught up considering what else he could do to help Ai out until Seijuurou got home and he didn't hear the footsteps approaching behind him.

 

Even if he did, he wouldn't have expected the sudden shove from behind that sent him flailing forward, only to stumble into a tall man in front of him, stopped by the bulk of his body. Momo leaped back quickly, gripping the bags tighter in his fists. There were three people around him that he could see; the one who had shoved him, the one in front of him, and a girl closer to an alleyway giving him an unpleasant smile.

 

“What've you got there?” She purred, skipping forward a step, making her blonde pigtails bounce. Momo swallowed, glancing between them and frowning hard.

 

“It's just takeout food...” he mumbled, trying to find an escape between them. She giggled, reaching her hands out; her nails were long and bright purple, Momo shook his head hard.

 

“Gimme! We're hungry,” she grinned wider, looking at her two friends. “Besides, if you don't hand them over we'll just make you.”

 

“I just want to go home,” Momo backed up a step, shifting so he was holding the food to his chest instead. It was stupid-- he and Ai had been jumped on their way home before, and Ai always just handed over whatever he was asked for with a sad, determined look on his face. Momo hated it. The food was to make Ai happy, not to leave them both without the money to get anything else. He looked between both men again, shaking his head sharply, trying not to let himself wish for Seijuurou. “I'm not giving you anything.”

 

The girl laughed, backing up into the shadows again. The first hit caught Momo on the jaw and he could taste the sting of blood in his mouth, but rather than stumbling and falling over he dropped so he was squatting on the sidewalk, still holding the piled boxes of takeout to his chest desperately. There was a weak crackle in the air around him, but he had no idea how to harness the charge in his blood to do anything other than overheat eggs and sometimes give someone an annoying static shock. The man laughed, kicking at his side with a roll of his eyes. It was hard enough that Momo saw stars.

 

“C'mon kid, this is just sad,” he was still laughing and Momo squeezed his eyes shut. The other grabbed his hair and yanked him back to his feet and even though he shouted, he still refused to give up his grip on the bags.

 

It wasn't until one of their fists hit his temple, dazing him, that he let the bags slip out of his hands. He didn't even register the problem with his hands being free, lifting his hands to cover the cut over his eyebrow instead, whining into his palms. There was snickering, and he realized he was sitting on the pavement and that his back hurt, but when he opened his eyes the food and the people were gone, and he was bleeding and constantly had to blink to keep it out of his eye.

 

He told himself over and over again that he wasn't going to cry, wiping at the cut over his eye again and again, smearing thick streaks of blood. When another hand touched his shoulder he leaped so violently he almost knocked himself off the sidewalk, frowning up at the same police officer he met earlier. Sousuke starts slightly, shaking his head with a little groan. “Didn't I already try and keep you out of trouble today?”

 

Momo found himself fervently wishing there weren't tears already in his eyes. He looked away, down at his now torn jeans and scuffed knee. “They took my food.”

 

“Shit, is he okay?” There was a second voice and Momo glanced up to find a second officer, probably Sousuke's partner. He looked scarier somehow, despite being significantly shorter and less bulky. It was probably the red eyes and sharp teeth. Sousuke sighed, still on one knee next to Momo.

 

“Got jumped-- he just looks a little beat up though,” he sighed softly, squeezing a warm hand around Momo's shoulder. “C'mon, let us walk you home.”

 

He shook his head, swiping desperately at his eyes. Because for once he doesn't want to go home. He doesn't want to watch disappointment claw its way across Ai's face before he hid it. He didn't want to have screwed up the one thing he could do to help and make his brother smile for once. Rin-- the second officer, knelt down at his other side.

 

“What'd they steal from you?” His voice was soft and Momo was surprised by that, sighing and unwinding his arms from around his legs.

 

“I came to pick up Thai food for my brother and me,” He sighed hard, shaking his head and pushing hair out of his face before it got stuck to the sticky patch of blood on his head. “I just-- it would've meant a lot to him and now we don't have anything for dinner.”

 

There was a silent moment before Sousuke pushed himself up, giving Momo's head a gentle pat and walking back down the street, glancing at Rin. “Stay there.”

 

“Don't get lost,” he shot back, seeming, if anything, not surprised by his partner walking away. Rin squeezed his shoulder instead, grinning slightly. “So you stood up to them trying to take your stuff?”

 

Momo nodded, sighing and leaning his cheek on his knees. “I know it was stupid, I just wanted to do something-- right, I guess.”

 

“Well, you're lucky you didn't get stabbed or anything,” Rin shrugged, giving Momo's hair a ruffle, laughing almost to himself. “But I'm pretty sure I've done stupider things than get my ass kicked over takeout.”

 

“I guess,” Momo grumbled, but smiled a little despite himself. He felt better at least, and he looked up when Rin did, blinking hard at Sousuke standing with two plastic bags in his hands.

 

“It's probably not the same order, but I just asked them for whatever they had on hand,” he shrugged, pulling Momo up gently and holding onto the bags, rolling his eyes when Momo grabbed at them. “I'll carry them, you walk.”

 

“Thank you!” He chirped, feeling some of his brightness return. He was really hoping they wouldn't do anything like want to see the inside of Momo's home, which was still full of stolen money, but if they just walked him to the building that would be good enough.

 

It was obvious, even to Momo, that Sousuke and Rin must have known each other for a long time. Half their conversations were just making faces at each other, the way Ai and Seijuurou sometimes did when they didn't want Momo catching on to whatever they were discussing. He didn't mind it, from them or the police officers. He filled space with words on his own, and once or twice caught what seemed to be Sousuke staring at him with a smile that seemed almost out of place on his hard face.

 

Rin whistled when they reached the building, eyeing it with a small frown on his face. “What floor are you on, kid?”

 

“Um, the sixth,” he rubbed the back of his neck, reaching for the food again. “I'll be fine from here, the building is really safe!”

 

“We should tell your brother what happened,” Rin explained, nodding at Momo to lead them in. He did with a nod, making sure to talk extra loud in the echoey stairwell, hoping Ai would hear him. He didn't-- because when Rin banged his fist on the door Ai opened it, still rubbing at his tired eyes. He lifted his face, blinking furiously.

 

Neither he nor Rin moved, red creeping over both their faces. Momo watched them with growing confusion, not understanding why neither of them said anything or why Sousuke was suddenly struggling to restrain his laughter. It wasn't until Ai finally found his voice again that it made any sense to Momo at all. “U-um, it's nice to see you again, M- Matsuoka-kun.”

 

“This is not where you said you lived,” he blurted then shook his head hard, face going even brighter red. “I- I mean, it's not like you had to tell me-- I wouldn't have said anything about it.”

 

“O- oh,” Ai shifted, then glanced over at Momo. He almost cringed at the expression, hissing as Ai jolted forward and pushed the hair out of his face instantly, on his toes to try and examine the cut. “What happened to you!”

 

“It was nothin',” he grumbled, suddenly feeling the need to seem a little bit tougher in front of the guy taking his brother on dates. He needed Rin to know that he wouldn't be scared to fight over Ai's honor if he had to. Ai continued prodding at the bruises on his face, shaking his head.

 

“Momo-kun I told you to wake me up,” he sighed, dropping back to his feet and waving Momo inside to set the food down with a frown. He obeyed without arguing, slumping his shoulders slightly and giving Sousuke a small smile and a wave. He could hear Ai and Rin talking, soft voices.

 

“Thank you for walking him home-- he's not usually trouble to anyone,” Ai didn't sound nervous, even. Apologetic, sure, but not stressed like he usually was around officers.

 

“He wasn't trouble at all. Y- you know I don't, um, have any kind of issue with your brother being Registered,” Rin responded, dropping his voice a little lower. Momo found himself peeking over the back of the couch, blinking at the surprisingly soft expression on his face. It didn't fit with the image he had of Rin being a cool, bad-cop kind of character. “My sister was too, before she went missing.”

 

He didn't think he was imagining the way Ai tensed at the word 'missing'. Still, he could see the slight lift of a smile on the side of his face. “I'm sorry about that then. I hope you find her soon.”

 

“T- thank you. Would it um, be okay to see you again?” Rin shifted his cap awkwardly, Momo frowned to himself. He didn't expect Ai to nod his head, or to lean up on his toes and plant a kiss on Rin's cheek.

 

“I'll call you,” he promised before gently shutting the door. Momo turned away quickly, pretending he wasn't watching to begin with. He almost cringed when the door shut, setting food out on the upturned crate they used as a table. He sunk slightly deeper into the ancient couch, trying to evade Ai frowning at him. There was a stretch of silence that left Momo twitching, tiny sparks flicking off his hair. Ai sighed softly, dropping to sit on the couch and reaching to push Momo's hair away from the cut, wrinkling his nose at the charge of static that leaped off Momo at the touch.

 

“Please don't start getting into fights,” Ai sighed softly, petting his hand over Momo's hair, apparently satisfied he wasn't hurt too badly. He could feel the strange tingle of Ai's fingers actually passing through him. “I have to deal with your hotheaded brother already--”

 

Momo must have cringed at the word 'your', because Ai cut himself off and looked away. Momo dipped his head slightly, finding that for once he didn't have something to say that would make Ai feel better. Ai dropped his hand to his lap, his breath coming out with a tremble. “I know I can't have you stay in the house forever-- especially without Sei-kun around, but you have to be careful.”

 

“I didn't mean to do anything--” he could see Ai's shoulders starting to shake. “I'm sorry Aichi, I just wanted to get home.”

 

“Y- you can't,” Ai pulled in a shaking breath, trying to push his palms against his face but stopping when he realized his hands had faded entirely. “You _can't_ get into that kind of trouble-- you're already Registered, and they-- they won't--”

 

Ai seemed to choke on his words, trembles rolling down his shoulders like he was freezing to death, like he was in danger of shaking himself apart at the seams. Momo lunged forward across the couch, wrapping his arms tightly around Ai's shoulders and tugging him against his own chest.

 

“Breathe Aichi-- I'm right here, okay? I'm not in any kind of trouble, it's alright,” he ended up mostly mumbling into Ai's hair, rubbing his back in erratic strokes. It was probably the thousandth time that day that he wished for Seijuurou to just come home already. Ai stressed out less when he felt like everything wasn't resting on his shoulders. Ai's breath stopped coming out in shaky gasps and he pulled back slowly from Momo's grasping hug, rubbing his now solid hands over his face.

 

“S- sorry, it's just-- the penalties change when you're Registered and if you get into trouble it's much more serious,” Ai shook his head hard, looking straight at Momo with a small frown wobbling on his face. “I don't want anything to happen to you.”

 

He knew if there was any moment that he should tell Ai about sneaking out and joining a gang, this was it. He couldn't make the words come out of his mouth. Instead, he flushed at Ai's urgent tone, turning to the food while rubbing the back of his neck.

 

“So are you really dating a cop?” He waited until they had both settled into eating in relative quiet to ask. Ai nearly choked on his Pad Thai, face flushing brilliantly red.

 

“I- I went on _a_  date with him,” he corrected desperately, coughing still. Momo grinned just slightly, nodding his head. Ai had never really been one for dating, probably a product of his anxiety around people, Momo figured.

 

“But you like him,” he was pretty sure about that one-- Ai had both kissed him on the cheek and said he wanted to see him again. He turned to face Ai with a wolfish grin on his face, waggling his eyebrows. “You kissed him before, didn't you Aichi?”

 

The question made Ai gape at him in a way that was really answer enough for Momo. He grinned even wider, throwing his arm around Ai's shoulder with a bright peal of laughter. “Don't worry, I'll fight him if we have to defend your honor.”

 

Ai rolled his eyes at that, turning back to his food with a small huff. Momo decided not to be offended by his lack of faith.

 

 

Momo fell asleep on the couch after helping Ai put the extra food away. He was pretty sure that Sousuke had ended up with more food than he originally ordered and resolved to pay him back for it somehow. He woke to the sound of the door opening, bolting upright on the couch with a grin splitting his face. Ai didn't used the door, so usually Seijuurou was the only one who would be coming in so late.

 

Only it wasn't Seijuurou standing in the doorway. Momo stared at the pair standing there with a frown and no recognition at all. The taller had floppy brown hair and dark eyes, his hands ending in black flaws, clenched into fists. The second was smaller, roughly the same size as Ai with dark green hair that drooped to his shoulders. The taller one grinned, flexing his hands.

 

“Well good evening,” he purred, laughing a little at the shock on Momo's face. “I just need to talk to Seijuurou-kun for a minute.”

 

“H- he isn't here,” Momo cursed the stumble in his words. He pushed himself up a little more, frowning and crossing his arms over his chest, trying his best to look tough. “What do you want?

 

“I want to chat with him-- how about little Nitori-kun?” It didn't seem like he was even asking Momo, his eyes flicking to the boy next to him. Momo guessed he couldn't be any older than Ai was, if even that. “Ikuya?”

 

“Back room, he's asleep,” he responded, tilting his body like he wanted to dash back out the door. He reached out, tugging slightly on his partner's sleeve. “N- Natsuya, I wanna go.”

 

“Just stay there,” he snapped, yanking his arm away and turning, walking toward the bedroom. Momo blinked before shoving himself over the back of the couch, stopping in front of the doorway with his arms stretched out to either side, tilting his chin up and trying to act like his heart wasn't trying to beat its way out of his chest.

 

“Leave Aichi alone,” his voice didn't come out as loud as he wanted, each word sticking hard in his throat. Natsuya stopped, blinking and shaking his head before laughing sharply.

 

“This is cute! But I don't think you really have any idea what those two are mixed up in,” he started moving forward again, sighing when Momo braced his palms on the doorframe. “Look, kid--”

 

“Kirishima-kun,” Ai's voice from behind him made Momo jump, dropping his arms in surprise as he turned to face him. “He's out of town.”

 

“I guess I'll just have to make a deal with you then,” he smirked, but the black on his hands absorbed back into his skin, leaving them normal. Ai gave him a small, tight nod, his jaw clenched tightly.

 

“I've got forty thousand right now,” Ai frowned as he said it, and Momo could see his fingers curling into fists. "We can work out the rest when he gets back."

 

"Now how does someone like you have that kind of money on hand?" There's a smirk on Natsuyas face and Momos stomach churned at the sight of it. He wanted to step in, but he knew it would only panic Ai further. "Because Seijuurou-kun never made a deal with me over money. And he's good, reliable muscle and all, but really were looking for a good thief."

 

He leaned forward, into Ai's space, flicking silver hair out of his face with a laugh. "And you offering me that kind of money in the middle of the night makes me think you must be one. So, you hold up your brother's bargain with me, and we won't have a problem, eh Phantom Thief?"

 

Ai jerked back from the touch, and Momo could see the tremble of his lip, rolling down his shoulders, before he nodded his head sharply. "Fine. I agree."

 

"I knew one of you three had to be the brains," he held his hand out to shake with a laugh, grabbing Ai's wrist when he reached in return, examining his transparent fingertips. "Look at that. You really are a phantom. I'll be back around when I have the details worked out."

 

Ai nodded stiffly, looking like he was only holding himself together with force of will alone. Natsuya started to turn, then paused to grin at Momo as well. "Though I like his spark too, you know."

 

Ai's breath trembled on the way out, his head snapping up and eyes going wide. “Momo-kun isn't any business of yours.”

 

That made Natsuya laugh again, tilting his head back and letting it spill from his mouth. Ai cringed, clenching his fists harder as his chest started heaving with each breath. “Your whole family is my business now, you should keep that in mind.”

 

He grinned, turning and walking out by himself, his hand resting lightly on the back of Ikuya's head, still chuckling to himself. Momo inched towards Ai, slightly afraid that he was going to buckle under the weight of his own slamming panic. He leaned his shoulders against the doorway, breathing out hard and shaking his head rapidly. “I- I'm fine, Momo-kun.”

 

“Aichi-- who was that?” He chewed his lower lip, frowning as Ai slid so he was sitting on the floor, his forehead pressed against his knees.

 

“Natsuya Kirishima, Demon's Eye Syndicate,” Ai sighed hard, shaking his head before slamming it back against the door frame. Momo yelped in surprise, dropping and trying to grab Ai to stop him from doing it again. Ai shook him off with a groan. “He said this wouldn't be a problem.”

 

“N- nii-chan?” Momo asked softly, curling up on the floor next to Ai. He nodded slowly, not lifting his head again. “W- what was he doing with them?”

 

“It's okay-- it'll be fine,” Ai sighed, pushing his palms into his eyes. Momo shuffled uncomfortably, looking down.

 

“I- I can help.”

 

“No,” Ai lifted his head up sharply, eyes going wide and shaking his head rapidly. “No you can't. I don't want you getting involved in this-- your brother would never forgive me if I let you fall in with a bunch of killers.”

 

Momo didn't say anything for a long moment, wrapping his arms around his legs. “He's your brother too.”

 

He mumbled it softly enough that there was a small change that Ai didn't hear him, pushing his face further into his knees and shutting his eyes. But after another moment Ai shook his head.

 

“It isn't the same.”

 


	3. No One Would Riot For Less

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Do-- do you think my brother might be missing?” There was a definite thread of fear running through his voice and Rin frowned harder, leaning his head back a little and considering. He was reluctant to give any real kind of answer, but Momo's eyes were wide and concerned and he couldn't picture lying to him either.
> 
> “From-- what I've heard, it sounds possible,” Rin sighed, surprised when Momo did nothing more than nod his head slowly. He glanced down at Ai for a moment, teeth digging into his lower lip.
> 
> “Have you found anyone again?” He asked, more softly than before. Rin's heart clawed his way into his throat and he froze, saved by Ai mumbling against his chest again, eyes flickering open slowly. He blinked, looking up at Rin and tilting his head slightly.
> 
> “Ah-- I fell asleep, didn't I?” He smiled, sitting up and almost slamming his head into Momo's, rubbing quickly at his eyes. “I'm sorry about that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another point-of-view that I never planned on including. I tried writing the chapter I had planned back in Ai's perspective and it just felt like you were missing so many important things, so I ended up writing this instead. I actually really love this chapter, so I'm pleased with the choice.

Rin glanced up at Sousuke with a frown, dropping his eyes again to stare at the stack of paperwork dropped in front of him. He was close to dropping his head into his arms and screaming in pure despair and frustration. No one had ever mentioned a literal mountain of forms and filing when signing him up for the Registration Squad. He sighed, pushing hair out of his face and gathering it into a ponytail at the nape of his neck.

“What is this for, anyway? And why aren't you doing it?”

“Missing persons,” Sousuke grunted, shrugging his shoulders and dropping to sit at his own desk with a small grin, crossing his arms over his chest. “Besides, you lost the last throwdown, so you know why you're doing it.”

Rin was about to bet him double or nothing for the next weeks work too, but instead he puffed out a sigh and grabbed the first report, flipping through the pages and dragging his eyes over them. Missing persons had raised dramatically in the last month and a half and it was invariably people from the outer blocks. There were no new reports from anyone inside the first seven blocks. 

“Be easier if people would actually fill the fuckin' things out all the way,” he rolled his eyes, ripping the cap of a highlighter off with his teeth and gripping it there, marking off each blank section. Sousuke glanced up from doing approximately nothing of any value on his phone and shrugged his shoulders.

“Orphans. Not like they trust cops-- if they're not Unregistered they know someone who is,” he didn't sound as bothered by it as Rin felt, the coil of frustration in his stomach winding tighter. Gou had a file like these tucked away in his desk though hers was much more complete, a product of not living in the tenement and being Registered already. He hadn't pointed out to anyone how bad it looked that all of the missing Registered were High Threat's. Getting a superior to care about anything Registered did that wasn't a crime was worse than being forced to chew on tinfoil.

“Why bother reporting it at all if you're not gonna give us anything to go on,” he groaned, pressing his palms into his eyes and tossing the report into a pile. Usually, he only formed two-- useless, and people they might actually be able to help. Sousuke shrugged again, and despite having dropped them all in front of Rin, reached over and grabbed a stack himself, starting through them.

“You're gonna drive yourself nuts trying to be a hero,” there was laughter in his voice but when Rin looked up, Sousuke's gaze was sharp, one eyebrow raised. Rin rolled his eyes in response, sinking just slightly lower in his seat. 

He didn't, despite what Sousuke said constantly, consider himself to be any kind of hero. Hero's actually made a difference in people's lives-- saved people from danger. Rin drank a lot of piss poor coffee and filed paperwork that no one else would ever look at and had to arrest people who weren't doing anything more than just existing.

He made a shitty hero if he was one at all.

Rin thought for one shining moment that he was saved from the endless hell of badly filled out files when Makoto eased himself through the door. It was one of the few times Rin had ever seen him without the company of Haru and he looked like he was about to suffer some kind of fainting spell. Rin lifted an arm in a wave, cocking his head to the side and grinning slightly. “Yo! You need somethin', Makoto?”

He seemed to ease slightly at the greeting, a smile melting over his face as he nodded his head slowly, rubbing the back of his neck. “I actually need to file a missing person report.”

“Shit, you too?” Rin groaned, shaking his head quickly and digging out an empty one, nodding his head with a small sigh. “I feel like that's become my whole job.”

“Ah-- sorry,” Makoto flushed a little and Rin rolled his eyes, waving a hand and smiling slightly.

“It's fine. What's the name?” He raised an eyebrow, making a motion for Makoto to sit in the decidedly uncomfortable plastic chair next to his desk. Makoto positively dwarfed it and Rin struggled not to chuckle. He looked up, cocking an eyebrow.

“S-Shigino Kisumi,” Makoto mumbled his way through the name, hand still on the back of his neck, looking like he'd like to be able to sink into himself entirely. Rin nodded, scribbling the name down with a little hum. It rang a bell, distantly.

“Registered, right?” He blinked as Makoto hesitated before nodding, sighing and leaning back slightly with a small frown. “I'm not gonna arrest your friend for going missing, don't worry. Do you have his number?”

“It's, ah-- #14271,” he glanced at Sousuke, blinking slightly before looking back at Rin with a little sigh. “He's been gone for almost two weeks, which is a lot longer than usual for him.

“You checked his place and everything?” Rin leaned back again, tapping the pen against his leg with a small hum. He'd have to check Kisumi's threat level later.

“I- I'm watching his little brother... he wouldn't just take off and not tell me anything,” Makoto's hands twisted nervously around the legs of his jeans and Rin's perception of him shifted in a strange way. He seemed much less concerned about telling the police and possibly causing trouble and more concerned for his friend. 

“I'm gonna do what I can to find him, yeah?” Rin smiled slowly and Makoto returned it, leaning back in the seat with a small sigh.

“Thank you. I know there's been a lot of troubles recently and I'd hate to burden you more,” he pushed himself up and Rin thought he might have seen the very edge of a tattoo on the back of his arm, but his sleeve fell to cover it before he could really be sure. Rin just nodded, leaning his head back on his hands.

“No trouble, it's my job. Tell Haru I said hi when you see him,” the two were basically attached at the hip anyway, he'd see him long before Rin did. Makoto blinked before smiling brightly.

“He mentioned you were on a date not long ago!” He seemed so excited by the mere prospect that Rin couldn't stop the flush that crept up the back of his neck. He dutifully ignored the chuckle that Sousuke hid behind a cough, nodding slightly. “Well that's nice-- I hope it went well.”

“Ah-- yeah, thanks,” Rin would really like to have already stopped blushing embarrassingly at the mention, but the heat stuck stubbornly in his cheeks. Makoto laughed softly to himself, smiling and nodding at Sousuke's offer to see him on his way out. He turned to look down at the report, not really seeing anything that he had written down on it. When he sat back down in his seat there was a grin stretched over his face.

“So you're still seeing the aquarium kid?” He sounded way too pleased by that fact and Rin sighed before nodding his head, rubbing the back of his neck and letting his hair down again.

“Yeah-- kinda? He said he doesn't have a lot of time until his other brother comes back into town,” he shrugged, pushing himself in and swiping his hat off the end of the desk and fixing it onto his head. “He's worried about taking care of the little one.”

“I keep seeing him around blocks four and five,” Sousuke grumbled, rolling his eyes and grabbing his as well, following Rin out with a bark of laughter. “He keeps trying to give me money for the food.”

“Really?” Rin grinned, crossing his arms and looking up at Sousuke with an eyebrow raised. “Why not just take it?”

“I didn't even pay for the damn food!” He rolled his eyes tossing his hands up. “I told the old lady that the redheaded kid got robbed and she insisted it was all free. Apparently they go there a lot.”

“Why not just tell him _that_ then?”

Sousuke's eyes flicked away before he shrugged and Rin sighed, rolling his eyes. “Okay. Whatever. Keep flirting with him in your weird way.”

“I'm not flirting. I'm keeping the little punk out of trouble,” Sousuke snorted and at that Rin laughed, tilting his head back between his shoulders.

“Because he seemed like the epitome of danger,” he grinned and Sousuke shrugged a little, shoving at his shoulder.

“They live out in gang territory, and it's not like everyone has an affiliation tattoo like Tachibana does,” Sousuke was dangerously close to a tone that Rin would have called pouting if the second point hadn't grabbed his attention.

“Tattoo? What was it?” He blinked. He'd assumed it had just been a normal one, deciding not to ask about it. Sousuke rolled his eyes, frowning at Rin.

“You're the least observant cop ever. He has a Samezuka tattoo-- black one,” Sousuke paused in walking, cocking his head with a grin that stretched sideways over his face. “You think Nanase knows he's dating a dangerous gang, member?”

“Absolutely,” Rin sighed, rubbing his palm into his forehead. “I kinda wish I didn't know.”

“Could always arrest him for it if you want a cleaver in the back,” Sousuke laughed again and Rin just sighed. Ten o'clock and his day had already been much too long.

 

“Any more news on the Phantom Thief?” He asked, looking over at Sousuke when they took a break from trying to ask people about missing persons to have lunch. Sousuke shrugged his shoulders, leaning his elbows back on the step behind him and humming.

“More weird break-ins, yeah. But if it's the same person, they're stealing different stuff,” he scowled down at his food. “Still no camera footage, no fingerprints, no point of entry.”

“They were robbing banks, right? It changed?”

“Yeah. Once or twice a month usually, always high-end places, only cash. It was never a lot either, usually just cleared one or two safety deposit boxes and split,” Sousuke shook his head, popping another bite into his mouth and chewing before continuing. “But there's been four jewelry store break-ins in the last week, with more and more stuff getting stolen.”

“Who's fencing the stuff?” Rin cocked an eyebrow, tugging his hat off and frowning. It was starting to get too hot for the full uniform.

“My bet is one of the rougher gangs. Samezuka doesn't deal in that sort of thing, so they're out. But there's no evidence suggesting that the Phantom Thief is a gang member-- they would take a lot more if they were,” Sousuke sounded more and more aggravated as he explained, rubbing his hand over his forehead. “I hate this stupid case.”

“Well if you find the fence you'll have something more to work off, right? No point stealing it if it's not getting sold,” Rin shrugged, balling the paper that had been holding his sandwich up in his hands. “We can walk out to block eight and see if we can get any information.”

“Anyone reasonable is gonna see cops and run,” Sousuke rolled his eyes, standing and kicking at Rin's knee with a sigh. “If that's your groundbreaking approach then we want civilian clothes.”

He paused, glancing Rin over with a glare. “You just wanna see your boyfriend.”

“You said Momo has been out a lot lately-- can't hurt to ask,” Rin smirked, turning back towards the station, chuckling softly to himself. “Purely a work thing.”

“You're ridiculous,” Sousuke sighed but didn't complain any further. Rin tossed him a wink, just for good measure.

 

Back in the extra clothes that he had stuffed in his locker for occasions like these, he and Sousuke blended in much better to the rough neighborhoods past the seventh block. Sousuke with his permanent scowl and Rin glaring was enough to chase off anyone who seemed a little too interested. For even better measure they elected to split up as well-- Sousuke looking for the informants that he already knew in the area, Rin to check if Ai knew of anywhere they should look (and maybe, possibly, kissing him for a little while before Sousuke dragged him off to actually work again). The plan itself was perfect.

He caught of a streak of silver hair on his way to the building Momo had shown him the last time and turned only to find it wasn't Ai at all. He would've discounted the stranger immediately if not for the shimmering silver orb that formed in his hand before wrapping around his fingers. He paused, staring for a beat longer than he should have, catching sight of the tattoo on his upper arm; an eye with a slit pupil and several blades pointing away from it. Demon's Eye Syndicate. It didn't help that he had his fist wrapped in the collar of a shorter girl's shirt, hauling them close together with a nasty grin on his face.

Rin, perhaps foolishly, didn't take the time to fully plot out his course of action here. Instead, his hand instinctively went for the taser stuck to the back of his belt, flicking it out in a smooth motion and gripping it tightly in both hands, stepping forward loudly enough to catch his attention. “I need you to stop whatever you're doing and come with me.”

The man's head whipped up, silver hair framing his face, green eyes wide in surprise. The silver faded off his fingers, putting his hands up in front of himself quickly. Rin cringed on instinct, hoping he didn't decide to spit acid or explode his brain with the motion. After a moment spent not dying in some horrible manner, he nodded his head. The girl had already taken off sprinting the second he let her go, which wasn't any kind of great surprise to Rin.

“Okay, behind your back and stand still please,” he made sure to keep his voice clear of anything but commanding. He was practiced at this-- more than he wanted to be. In the outer blocks, he was used to people openly displaying their ability and Unregistered status. Everything past the seventh block was generally recognized as orphan territory and unless someone decided there needed to be a raid and mass arrests of anyone suspected of being Unregistered, bringing in single targets wasn't a priority.

Unless, of course, those single targets were part of the most violent gang terrorizing the area. Block 8 was entirely Samezuka territory, and seeing someone trusted enough by another gang to have an affiliation tattoo was surprising, and never a good sign. The man nodded his head, turning his back and folding his wrists together. Rin was about to internally celebrate the lack of resistance when more silver wrapped around his fingers, flinging out from the tips like bullets.

Rin dropped to the ground, avoiding the fast moving projectiles and cursing as the man took off at a dead sprint down the alley ahead of him. He shoved himself up quickly, chasing after him with a snarl. It was dumb, entirely dumb. He did it anyway, resigning himself to the lecture from Sousuke later on.

It was surprisingly easy to catch him after he started running-- silver-boy didn't have the stamina or athletic ability from years of sports and training that Rin still had, and he caught up in a quick sprint, using his momentum to shove him into a wall with a growl. He stumbled, crumpling after he hit it and landing next to Rin's foot. Rin rolled his eyes, pressing the toe of his sneaker into the center of his back with a hard sigh.

“Hands. And name,” he grunted, leaning over and pulling his hands together harshly, pulling the handcuffs from where they were hidden under his shirt and locking them together. They probably wouldn't be all that useful against someone Rin would wager anything would wind up being another High Threat, but they were something at least.

“Nao,” came the grumble as he lifted the criminal up to his feet. Rin nodded his head, gripping the back of Nao's arm firmly. 

“Well Nao, let me tell you. Once you get Registered, you don't wanna run from cops anymore,” he grinned slightly, using his other hand to dig out his phone. His thumb hovered over Sousuke's name for a moment before he shook his head and dialed for Captain Sugimoto instead.

The call was quick, devoid of congratulations, just simple directions to where Rin was and an urging for him to be careful and keep hold of his prisoner. Nao didn't seem interested in fighting him once he was caught, instead staring at the side of Rin's head with his brow furrowed intensely. Rin found it at least a little bit unsettling.

“I know you from somewhere,” Nao mumbled, almost to himself. He paused, chuckling slightly. “Cops don't usually bother coming down here at all.”

“I'm looking for information on the Phantom Thief,” Rin cocked an eyebrow, considering. Nao blinked his eyes, something sharp and devious crossing his face. Rin almost sighed. “I'm not cutting you loose even if you give a name.”

“Really? Because I have one,” Nao grinned slowly now, nodding at his own tattoo. “He's doing some-- freelance work for my boss. One of his brothers had a debt and skipped town and left him to work it off.”

“Unless you can actually back that up, you're still not getting out of these,” Rin snorted, pushing Nao to sit on the sidewalk by his shin. “That's just how it works.”

Nao looked up at him with a frown, leaning back on his palms without complaint, raising an eyebrow neatly. “I can show you where he lives.”

“Doesn't turning him in get in the way of having him steal from you?” Despite his casual attitude, there was something about it that seemed like desperation to Rin. Nao shrugged his shoulders, shaking his head in an attempt to get hair out of his face.

“I don't like messing around on Samezuka's block. He might not be one of theirs but that doesn't make it less trouble if Shigino or Tachibana get involved,” he rolled his eyes, not seeming to notice Rin's flinch at the names. He was probably going to have to ask Haru about the whole 'dating a criminal' thing sometime soon. Especially because Makoto apparently had a reputation already. Nao shrugged again, sighing. “I also really don't want to be the next one who turns up missing.”

“You know something about that?” Rin raised an eyebrow, nudging at Nao's leg with his foot. Nao snorted, craning to look up at him.

“If I did would you give a fuck?” He laughed, leaning more of his weight back on his arms. “Less High Threat's means less trouble on your end, doesn't it? Better deal for asshole cops.”

Rin rolled his eyes, digging his wallet and Gou's picture out. It was older now, from when they were still in school, but last time he'd seen her she'd still looked exactly the same. He tried to ignore the hollow feeling in the pit of his stomach, holding it out and frowning. “My little sister is missing too.”

Nao blinked at the picture before frowning slightly. “What kind of brother becomes a fucking cop?”

“You're right, joining a gang would have helped her out much more,” he growled, shaking his head and tucking it away quickly. “But I know there're more people missing than we get reports for.”

“Usually people go in and don't come out again,” Nao snorted, shaking his head. “None of ours, but I know some who've just vanished after a raid or a job gone bad. Other times, it's if you're a High at all you're here then gone.”

“So no one has come back?” Rin sighed, crossing his arms over his chest. Nao shrugged, looking at the police car stopping in front of them with a frown. Rin gave the officer who jumped out a single nod, pulling Nao back up to his feet before he was shoved into the car. He had a few more questions he wanted to ask, namely about the missings, but he resolved to leave it off for later. Turning and walking the rest of the way to Ai's apartment building with his hands in his pockets and his head ducked low.

He was glad that no one had showed up and made an attempt to rescue Nao from him, or something equally unpleasant. Arresting anyone this far out and by himself was a risk that he had no qualms taking himself, but would absolutely get scolded for by Sousuke. He wasn't exactly looking forward to that fact.

Still, he had a grin on his face when he knocked on Ai's door, his leg bouncing slightly with nervous energy. It was a surprise how easy to talk to he was-- with his cute, open face and the way he seemed to shock himself whenever he did something bold. Rin liked it. Rin liked him in general. 

He almost drew back in surprise from the familiar ginger who pulled the door open, blinking his gold eyes rapidly before his gaze sharpened to points, a small frown on his face. “You're here for Aichi.”

“If he had a minute-- we didn't have plans or anything,” Rin rubbed the back of his neck, feeling like Momo wanted to use that gaze to pick him apart. Momo's head cocked slightly to the side before he looked over his shoulder, shouting.

“Aichi! Your _boyfriend_ is here,” he huffed, lifting his arm to let Ai duck underneath it. Rin had to keep his heart beating off of sheer will, not expecting Ai to be wrapped in a sweater that drooped off one shoulder and hung past his hips, halfway unzipped. For one jealous instant he wished it was Ai wearing one of _his_ jackets like that, but he shook it away quickly at the smile making his big blue eye crinkle.

“R- Rin!” He reached out, slim fingers catching around Rin's wrist and pulling him inside, the door shoving shut behind him. He wasn't entirely surprised by the run-down condition of the apartment; it went deeper than the stray clothes or the sagging couch, the walls bore water stains that made the wallpaper peel away from the wood underneath, and the floor leading into the kitchen was made mostly of cracked tiles, chipped at the corners and rocking slightly when Momo walked over them, sticking his head into the fridge with the slightest glare back in Rin's direction. He couldn't exactly blame the kid for not welcoming him.

He blinked out of looking around, realizing the flush creeping over Ai's cheeks and feeling guilty for it. He rubbed the back of his head, noticing Ai was still holding onto his other arm. “Ah-- I was checking around about some things and thought I would drop by for a minute.”

“That's so kind of you,” Ai shuffled, his smile going shy. Rin grinned slightly, lifting the arm that Ai was holding to tilt his chin up a little, pressing a kiss to the little beauty mark under his eye, feeling the skin warm under his touch. When he leaned back again, Ai was positively beaming. “What were you checking around about?”

“Phantom Thief robberies have been picking up again, so we were hoping to find out who's fencing what he steals,” Rin shrugged. Ai blinked furiously at that, his mouth dropping open slightly. It wasn't anything that could be called a gape, just a slight parting of lips before Momo cut in.

“Did you find anything?”

Rin laughed softly, shrugging his shoulders. “Maybe. I can't really share details on investigations.”

Momo, if anything, seemed more annoyed by that, giving Ai a little frown before wandering with his food down the narrow hallway that presumably led to bedrooms. He huffed just a little, pausing to glare directly at Rin. “Just because I'm leaving the room doesn't mean you have permission to put your hands all over my brother.”

Rin nearly choked, not sure if he should be fighting the urge to laugh like he currently was. Ai flushed immediately, releasing Rin's hand and shoving at Momo's back. “Q- quit that! Eat your snack.”

Momo was laughing when the door clicked shut behind him and Ai groaned, turning and pressing his head against Rin's chest, eyes squeezed shut. He didn't mean to tense, surprised by the motion, and he was glad when it didn't seem to deter Ai. “He's such a handful when Sei-kun is gone.”

“He's still out of town?” Rin's brow furrowed, his arms draping slowly over Ai's shoulders, shifting to hug him there gently. It felt far nicer than he expected, with Ai's hands lifting to ball in his shirt at his sides, his nod a nuzzle against this center of Rin's chest. “Is it normal for him to be gone this long?”

“Not without letting us know he was going,” Ai sighed, lifting his head up and shaking it quickly, red splashing over his cheeks. “S- sorry. I don't mean to burden you with my problems.”

“I'm a cop, it's sort of what I do,” Rin rolled his eyes, chuckling and using careful steps to guide Ai over to the couch, sitting on it with only a slight wrinkle of his nose. Ai seemingly had no such qualms, dropping his weight on it and making it creak in protest, flopping his head into Rin's lap with a wide yawn.

“It's just-- easier with him around,” Ai sighed, rubbing the sleeves of his sweater into his eyes. It was impossible not to notice the heavy circles under them, even though the motion of Ai rubbing at his face the way he was made Rin's chest feel strangely tight. He wondered when the last time Ai got a solid night's sleep was. He hummed to himself at the thought, stroking his fingers over Ai's hair slowly.

“Do you wanna take a nap?” He chuckled softly with the offer, smiling as Ai sat up quickly, trying to blink the sleep away from his eyes and shaking his head hard.

“Y- you came all the way to see me!” He protested and Rin shrugged, leaning forward and snatching him into a hug, wrangling him gently until he was laying across Rin's chest, head tucked against his shoulder.

“This is seeing you,” he laughed softly, splaying his fingers over Ai's back and planting a kiss on his temple. Ai seemed like he wanted to argue further, so instead Rin closed his eyes and continued grinning. “Sleep with me.”

At that, Ai did giggle softly, and Rin could feel the flutter of his eyes closing. The tension seemed to unwind from his body slowly, and Rin could only really feel it after it was gone-- his shoulders relaxing, arms stretching out slightly further, breath coming slow and even. His body expanded like when he was awake he put all his efforts into appearing smaller. Rin continued stroking his back, letting tiny puffs of warm air fan over his neck. He was surprised it made him sleepy as well.

 

He woke up to a pair of bright yellow eyes inches away from his face, trying to blink back into the world and nearly shouting at the surprise. He swallowed it down, realizing who was staring at him and that Ai was still curled up and asleep on top of him. He groaned, lifting a hand away from Ai's shoulder and rubbing his eyes with a huff. “Hey.”

“You know,” Momo didn't bother to mumble or make his voice soft, apparently not worried about waking his brother up. He glanced down at Ai and frowned before looking back at Rin. “Aichi doesn't really date much.”

“Yeah?” Rin blinked, stroking Ai's back again without thinking much of it. Momo frowned hard at him, fingers curling around the back of the couch. Rin could have sworn he saw a spark jump off the kid's hair.

“So, if you're thinking about trying to take advantage of him I'm not going to let you,” he hissed, narrowing his eyes. Rin had to fight down laughter again, swallowing it to the pit of his stomach and nodding his head seriously.

“I have a little sister,” he started, feeling the worn fabric of the sweatshirt between his fingers. He was guessing that it belonged to the oldest one, judging by the sheer size. “So I understand what you're worried about.”

“Nii-chan is going to be so mad about this when he gets home,” Momo leaned his chin on the back of the couch, draping his arms over it. He paused at his own words, blowing hair out of his face. For a brief second Rin could see the almost healed cut on his forehead. “Not that Aichi would get why.”

“Why's that?” Rin cocked an eyebrow, his hand sliding up to let his thumb trace the nape of Ai's neck, smiling at the sleepy mumble he got in return. Ai curled up closer to the warmth like a cat.

“He thinks it's different,” Momo grumbled, catching Rin's confused look and sinking into himself further. “He thinks that nii-chan and I love him less.”

Rin raised an eyebrow, still stroking a slow path on the back of Ai's neck, the motion of his hand almost lazy. He could recall Ai's reluctance to even call the two of them his family at the start, despite the fact that Momo had only ever called Ai his brother.

“He thinks there's a difference,” Momo sounded genuinely miserable, staring at the back of Ai's head. “I dunno how to make him see things better.”

“Do you have any idea where your brother might be?” Rin sighed softly when Momo shook his head, poking his fingers together.

“I asked some of my friends to help me look around though,” he said quietly, staring at his hands rather than at Rin. “I know people have been going missing lately.”

“Yeah, they have,” Rin didn't want to point out that the only people missing were either Unregistered or High Threat's. He wanted to get the kid to trust him, at least enough not to stand there and watch him sleep. “My sister is missing too.”

“H- how long has she been gone?” Momo's voice trembled slightly and Rin didn't have to imagine the sinking feeling he must have had at that. He twisted his fingers gently into Ai's hair, stroking it slowly.

“Almost two months,” his voice came out softer than he intended and he had to stop and clear his throat a little, feeling a familiar lump at the back of it. “She's Registered, too.”

“Do-- do you think my brother might be missing?” There was a definite thread of fear running through his voice and Rin frowned harder, leaning his head back a little and considering. He was reluctant to give any real kind of answer, but Momo's eyes were wide and concerned and he couldn't picture lying to him either.

“From-- what I've heard, it sounds possible,” Rin sighed, surprised when Momo did nothing more than nod his head slowly. He glanced down at Ai for a moment, teeth digging into his lower lip.

“Have you found anyone again?” He asked, more softly than before. Rin's heart clawed his way into his throat and he froze, saved by Ai mumbling against his chest again, eyes flickering open slowly. He blinked, looking up at Rin and tilting his head slightly.

“Ah-- I fell asleep, didn't I?” He smiled, sitting up and almost slamming his head into Momo's, rubbing quickly at his eyes. “I'm sorry about that.”

Momo leaned back quickly with a surprised shout, making Ai turn and flush immediately, staring back at him with his mouth hanging open slightly. “M- Momo-kun!”

“H- hey Aichi,” he grinned unevenly, rubbing the back of his head. This time there absolutely were sparks jumping off his hair that Rin blinked at in surprise. “Did you have a nice nap?”

“Please tell me you weren't bothering Rin,” he sighed softly and Momo shook his head with a bark of laughter, pushing to his feet quickly. It didn't escape Rin's notice that the motion put him out of Ai's limited reach. 

“Of course not!” He continued backing up, grin only getting wider as Ai's face went flat and unconvinced. “I was just asking about his job! Being a cop is super cool, ya know?”

Ai looked like he might have believed Momo more if he had said that the sky had suddenly turned purple while he was sleeping. Still, Momo seemed unbothered by the look, waving his hand with another chuckle. “I'm gonna start dinner!”

“Don't burn anything,” Ai scolded, shaking his head and blushing a little as he glanced back at Rin. “S- sorry.”

“He wasn't bugging me, it's fine,” Rin chuckled, digging his phone out of his pocket and huffing at the missed calls from Sousuke. He probably shouldn't have drifted off to sleep in Ai's apartment, but it wasn't like they were particularly busy to begin with. Ai wiggled off him, cheeks still glowing pink.

“T- thank you for that. It was, um, nice,” he flushed as he said it and Rin couldn't stop himself from grinning a little. He pressed another kiss to Ai's forehead, sighing.

“I should probably let my partner know that I'm not dead,” he grumbled, not missing the little sound Momo made from the kitchen at the mention. He raised a curious eyebrow but didn't comment on it, apparently it wasn't on Ai's radar at all. However, the sound of loud sizzling followed by cursing did pull at his attention.

He pushed himself off the couch with a groan, shaking his head and following Momo into the kitchen. “What are you cooking?”

Rin laughed softly, dialing Sousuke rather than listening to the rest of Momo getting into trouble, despite how tempted he was. There were several rings before he actually picked up. “I do not want to know what you've been doing, but get your lazy ass back to the station.”

“Eh? Why?” Rin raised an eyebrow, draping an arm over the back of the struggling couch. Sousuke huffed, sounding more annoyed than usual.

“Because your arrest gave us a location that's supposed to be hit tonight, and since it's my case you need to come with me,” less annoyed, smugger. Rin groaned.

“Well, fuck. How much time do I have?”

“Enough to get me dinner and decent coffee for slacking off the entire afternoon,” Sousuke bit back and Rin nodded, rolling his eyes and pushing himself off the couch.

“Fine, fine. I'm on my way, you grouch,” he ended the call without waiting for Sousuke to grump at him more, poking his head in the kitchen and failing to swallow his laughter this time. Somehow Momo had managed to get flour on both of them, sticking in his hair and smeared across Ai's cheek. Ai looked exasperated, looking over his shoulder and shaking his head at Rin bracing himself on the wall for support.

“S- sorry!” He managed through his chuckles, standing up slowly and almost losing his composure all over again at Ai's pouting. He reached out with a grin, brushing the flower off his cheek. “I gotta get back to work.”

“Oh! Alright,” Ai blinked softly, glancing at Momo for a moment before leaning up on his toes and kissing Rin softly. He gave a pleased hum in return, fingers tangling in Ai's hair until Momo made a loud, displeased sound. He grinned, letting go slowly, chuckling at the annoyed look Ai shot over his shoulder. 

He ducked out with a grin still stuck on his face, pushing his hands in his pockets. He had to swerve slightly to ignore another resident walking down the hall-- as tall as he was himself with floppy brown hair and a hard frown on his face. He paused for a second, glancing back at Rin before pausing and apparently digging out his keys. Rin shrugged it off, starting down the stairs instead.

 

Rin had decided long ago that stakeouts were the worst, most boring thing imaginable. It sounded like such a cool idea-- hanging out with your partner, lying in wait for the bad guy to show up so you could catch them. It appealed to the romantic nature that Rin would deny having until he was in his grave. But like everything about being a cop, he found it let him down more often than not. Even with Sousuke around, they had to spend most of their time paying attention and not looking suspicious, which meant they didn't do a lot of actual talking, and it was rare that sitting all night actually led to them catching anyone-- especially someone who had earned the name the Phantom Thief.

And so, when he actually showed up, Rin was understandably shocked. It was hard to really see any of the details, except that he was short, dressed in all black, a cap holding his hair in. His body was strangely... transparent-- Rin could see him, but also see the brick wall behind him as he walked. He rubbed at his eyes, glancing back at Sousuke for confirmation that he was seeing the same thing. Sousuke nodded his head slowly, grunting under his breath. “Unregistered.”

“Looks like it,” Rin nodded slowly. They'd suspected that for awhile about the Phantom Thief. He turned his head, looking over his shoulder and Rin frowned harder at the black mask covering his face. Even from a distance Rin could tell it was the cheap kind picked up at some costume store around Halloween-- unexceptional, nothing they would be able to put any effort into tracking.

The thief stopped, looking ahead again and without pausing another step, walked directly through the wall and into the store. It didn't trip any of the alarms, but Sousuke cursed under his breath, both of them pushing their way out of the car. “Fucking phaser. Of course.”

Phasers weren't an overly common class of Registered to run into, and across the board they were High Threats, for exactly this reason. They could go anywhere-- security systems weren't able to detect them with any reliability, and most could destroy electronics by simply moving through it. But being able to phase the objects back _out_ of the crime scene marked this one as being exceptionally strong.

He let the door slam behind him, doubting it would draw the attention of the thief inside the store already. He leaned on the bricks at the side of the glass door, gun in hands having swapped it out for the taser used for general duty when he changed back into his uniform. He glanced at Sousuke, nodding his head once, grimacing at Sousuke's cap wrapped around his hand. They were going to get in so much trouble for this, but short of letting the thief get away they didn't have many other choices.

Sousuke's fist went through the door, the glass weak enough to yield to the first crash of his fist into it, glass scattering across the pavement and bouncing off the fabric wrapped around his hand. The alarm failed to sound, making them both rush in through it even more quickly. Sousuke planted the hat back on his head, one of his knuckles sliced but apparently not badly enough to attract his notice when he pulled out his gun as well.

The thief apparently hadn't heard the sound of the door shattering, because his back was still towards them when they walked into the show room, hand reaching through the glass of the case and scooping out a tray of expensive looking rings. Rin growled to himself, lifting the gun and letting out a short breath.

“Freeze,” he kept his voice calm, cold, ignoring the slamming of his heart in his ears. The thief actually yelped, yanking his hand back and wheeling around, the bag in his hand jangling with other swiped jewelry. He stared at Rin with wide eyes shadowed by the mask, gripping the bag tighter rather than dropping it.

He glanced between Rin and Sousuke, the shock plainly written across his face, making his mouth drop open slightly. He snapped it quickly shut, shaking his head minutely. Rin wasn't sure what at, so he simply gripped the gun in his hands tighter, aiming it directly at his chest.

“Put the bag down,” Sousuke continued smoothly, standing closer to the main doorway. Not that it would help much if he decided to run, Rin lamented to himself. He wasn't even entirely sure that shooting him would actually work unless he was distracted enough that he didn't phase out.

The shock vanished off his face all at once, his head shaking again and his mouth clamping tightly shut. He didn't run, at least, but his eyes did flick to the side, looking for an escape. 

“You don't wanna be doing this, right?” Rin asked slowly, trying a different tact. Sousuke had said that the Phantom Thief had suddenly changed his targets entirely, and Nao had said it was because he was working off a debt to Demon's Eye. Sousuke didn't say anything to argue with him, but Rin could feel the searching pressure of his glance. “Put it down and come with us, we can help you.”

It was then he realized that the thief was actually trembling, tremors wracking down his arms and shoulders. He opened his mouth like he wanted to speak then snapped it shut so quickly his teeth clicked together. There was another flicker of his gaze, this time to stare Rin directly in the face. The mask still shadowed his eyes enough that it made them hard to read, and his best guess was that they were probably a dark blue like Haru's, but he was sure he wasn't imagining how apologetic he suddenly looked.

“Don't run,” he said quietly, lowering the gun but taking a step toward the thief. “I know it seems like you don't have any options for paying them off, but we can't help you if you run.”

The thief withered, slouching slightly forward and shutting his eyes for a brief second and Rin thought he would actually give in. But his eyes opened once again and instead of being sorry they were hard, cold, and determined. He phased back into transparency before Sousuke had time to squeeze off a shot, clutching the bag in his hand and sprinting out through the wall.

As much as Rin wanted to give it up right then and there, aware that he could charge through the next four buildings and be entirely gone, he slammed his gun back into its place and turned, running out of the building after him. What else was he supposed to do, after all? He couldn't let him keep stealing just because he felt bad.

He was surprised to actually see the thief sprinting down the sidewalk, fully solid again, bag slung over his shoulder. He growled, starting to run after him, digging the gun out after glancing around and not seeing anyone else out. “Stop!”

Predictably, he didn't stop running, and even as Rin lined the sight of the gun up with the center of his back he knew himself well enough to know he couldn't take that shot. No matter how bad his choices, the Phantom Thief was part of someones family, was trying to support and protect them the best that he could. He didn't have the eyes of a cold-blooded criminal-- he had the eyes of an animal backed into a corner, pushed until all he had left was flight or fight.

Rin lowered the gun with a sigh, turning and kicking the scattered glass at his feet, jamming the gun away. “Fuck!”

Sousuke was only a few steps behind him, grunting and clapping his hand on Rin's shoulder, nodding back at the car. “We gotta call in to Sugimoto.”

“You do it,” Rin snapped, swatting Sousuke's hand away from him with a snarl. He could feel the relentless pounding of his heat, his vision blurring red at the edges. Sousuke paused at that, raising an eyebrow and looking like he wanted to sigh and bark something in return though he resisted the urge.

“If you're gonna have a meltdown at least do it in the car,” he grumbled, shaking his head slowly. “We got more information than we started with. It wasn't a wash.”

“I could've fuckin' stopped him,” Rin growled, pointing down the street, spitting the words out from between his teeth. “He was right there. No one in the crossfire didn't even look back. I could have stopped him.”

Sousuke's face softened at that in a way it didn't usually when Rin was this angry. He shook his head, reaching out and resting his hand lightly on the back of Rin's neck, this time not getting batted away. “No, you couldn't. You weren't going to shoot someone in the back.”

“I fucking should have!” He was shouting at this point, in the middle of the street in front of a shattered door. It was far from the most professional he had ever been in his career. “That's exactly what I should have done. That's my fucking job.”

“You can't beat yourself up over _not_ killing someone,” he snorted, dropping his arm and raising an eyebrow. “You're the hero right? You can't just start firing off rounds at harmless thieves.”

“I'm not anybody's fucking hero,” Rin spat back, trying to ignore the way the phrase really made him want to haul back and punch Sousuke square in the face. He'd tried that before-- it didn't end well for his knuckles. “Who did we fucking help tonight? He got away. Everything he stole is going to fund a gang who will probably just kill him in the end anyway. Even more people are going to talk about how Unregistered's are scum and criminals and we'll just have more raids on the outer blocks to catch them. No body fucking wins. I'm sick of this shit.”

Rin turned, pushing away Sousuke's attempt to grab him, walking the other way. He wasn't headed towards home or the station. Sousuke didn't jog after him, just sighed and rolled his eyes. “Call me when you need a ride, asshole.”

He didn't turn around to flip him off-- they both knew he'd either call or walk home himself anyway. Instead, he let his feet carry him on memory alone, out past the sixth block, the red in his vision splintering and crumbling away as he walked. In some distant way, he appreciated Sousuke not fawning over him or lying to make him feel better. It was always this way with him-- Rin got pissed and Sousuke didn't let him suffer any delusions. It worked.

He stopped when the memorial loomed in his vision. It wasn't big, and it wasn't anything official-- a chain link fence decorated with thousands of pictures, burnt-out candles resting at its foot along with flowers, some rotted away and some still fresh, recently left. It was an informal kind of sanctuary, built by the family members left over after the uprisings left an entire generation without parents. It was the trick question, being Unregistered, expected to grow up and not turn to crime when they only had the broken families they stitched together themselves and would be ripped away the second they were discovered.

It didn't take him more than a minute to pick out the familiar image, the one he and Gou had hung when he was eight years old, her chubby fingers tangling up with his, wiping tears off his cheeks as they stood there and stared at it. He sighed, pulling the hat down lower over his face and trying to cover the tears welling up in his eyes now. He reached his other hand out, balled up into a fist, touching it gently against the framed image. 

Time and bad weather had started to wear all of them away-- those that weren't in frames had been mostly washed out by over a decade of hot sun and pounding rain, and those that were had faded and yellowed, fading memories of parents and older siblings who rioted for a future that nobody really got.

It was the first days of the registration system that had caused the uprisings in the first place; the news that anyone powered would be tattooed and moved out of the safe parts of the city with their families, monitored, controlled, kept away from the rest of the population. He could remember both of his parents staring at the television, his mother crying, chin trembling as she tried to hold the tears in.

He could also remember that his dad didn't cry at all, just stared with his fists squeezing tighter and tighter, the cold blue light of the screen illuminating the rage on his face. He can't remember their argument before he walked out the door, with riots raging in the city, yet still so far away that they didn't feel real. He remembered the twisting of the lock on the front door. There were no police officers come to tell them that Toraichi wasn't coming home again, even though he was one, long before there was a Registration Squad to join.

Rin dropped his hand away from the picture, swallowing another frustrated growl and glaring at it now, using his arm to scrub the tears off his face roughly. It was good to come here, it had been awhile since the last time he had-- before Gou had gone missing, a reminder of what he was actually trying to use his life, his career, to accomplish. The scuff of shoes against pavement drew his attention away from staring at the photo, turning over his shoulder, and blinking in open-mouthed shock.

His first foolish, laughable thought was to wonder what the odds were of coming here for the first time in months and finally finding Gou. Odds with her were always a funny thing-- playing against the house, Sousuke used to call it. She stared back with the same shock, her hair tied in pigtails against the bottom of her head, clothes different than he's used to her wearing. She wasn't that different, still his sister, with sharp features and ruby eyes. She only stopped for a moment to blink at him before she shook her head.

“Gou--” he reached a hand out but she was already turning, already running away from him. For the second time that night he hurried to give chase. It was like being kids again for a brief, dizzy moment. Chasing Gou around the school and laughing when he could never follow her path. She turned a corner, exactly like he remembered, and by the time he rounded it she was gone, not even leaving the echo of her footsteps for him to follow.


	4. Everything Is Alright

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “S- Seijuurou Mikoshiba,” he'd already given the name to the people at the desk more than once, talking to one of the other workers wouldn't make it any worse, he figured if he didn't answer Kisumi could always turn around and look it up. His eyes caught on the Samezuka tattoo on Kisumi's wrist, blinking sharply at it. It was black-- the same color as Makoto's own was. Kisumi grinned, whistling low.
> 
> “I know that name,” he said simply, nodding his head back at the building fading away behind them. “But not from in there.”
> 
> “D- do you know where he is?” Ai tried to keep his voice hushed, tried to swallow the vain hope that clawed into his throat. Kisumi's grin slid sly, chuckling.
> 
> “Let's say that I do know,” he started, tucking his hands in his pockets. “You should know that kind of information is worth something.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear the universe did not want me to post this chapter. There's more violence in this than previously in the story, but nothing graphic or extreme.

Ai was almost shocked that he managed to return that night in one piece-- in between nearly being caught by the cops (Rin, of all people, had to be the one aiming a gun at him) and being forced to run half-phased the entire way back to the apartment because there was already the throbbing beginning of a headache behind his eyes from overextending himself. He had found over time that phasing himself through things was rarely taxing, it was moving other objects with him that presented a challenge.

He stopped in front of the apartment door, pulling off his mask and cap and taking a moment to try and regain his breath, loathe to do anything else that would worry Momo further. He'd already been a staticky mess before Ai had even left for the job, sending nervous jolts of energy through everything that he touched, including Ai himself. He lifted the bag back over his shoulder once his panting had stopped, phasing himself and the loot through the door.

A groan fell out of his mouth almost as soon as he was through, the final movement tipping his headache from starting to attempting to crack his head open entirely. Momo was still asleep on the couch-- a habit he had whenever Ai or Seijuurou were out late, so he would know that they made it home. He hadn't slept anywhere else in the time that Seijuurou had been gone and Ai's stomach twisted at the sight of him, frowning and setting the bag down, cringing at the jingle it made upon hitting the floor. Momo groaned, sitting up and rubbing tiredly at his eyes, smiling when he turned to look at Ai.

“Aichi! You're back,” he leaned his arms on the back of the couch, the TV casting shifting blue light over the room, making Ai's head feel like it was swimming.

“I'm home,” he responded, stumbling a few steps further into the apartment and willing his legs not to buckle under him. All he had to do was make it to the bed-- he didn't have to meet with Natsuya until the morning and until then he needed to rest. He didn't make it halfway through the room before Momo made a loud, displeased sound, vaulting over the back of the couch.

“Why are you bleeding?” He blinked furiously, grabbing at Ai's shoulders and forcing him to turn around. Ai blinked confusedly, trying to remember why he would be when Momo tilted his head back for him, frowning hard. “You have a nosebleed, Aichi.”

“Oh,” when he opened his mouth to speak he could taste the blood on his lips and he frowned, wiping it off quickly on his sleeve. It wasn't that unusual though it meant he was far more overextended than he had thought. He shook his head quickly, keeping his sleeve pressed under his nose. “It's fine, Momo-kun. I just need some sleep.”

“You said this would be easy,” Momo said quietly, one of his arms wrapping around Ai's side to support him on the short walk to the bedroom. Ai shook his head, struggling to hold his eyes open all the way. He flopped onto the bed as soon as it was in sight, rolling on his back in an effort not to bleed on anything he actually liked, staring up at Momo.

“Everything's alright,” he could feel his voice slurring slightly, sleep making his words run together awkwardly. Momo seemed understandably unconvinced, but Ai made himself sit up, convinced he could hear his bones creaking together tiredly. “I'm just not used to phasing so many things for so long.”

“I don't like this,” Momo's voice grew even softer and Ai had to strain to hear him, not used to a lack of volume from Momo of all people. “Nii-chan wouldn't do this. He wouldn't leave you to take care of this by yourself.”

“I know,” Ai frowned, looking down at his legs. He didn't say what he was thinking-- that if Seijuurou had intended to use Ai as trade fodder for his deal, he wouldn't have left Momo to get caught in the crossfire. He lifted his head, searching for something reassuring to say, cut off by a hard knocking at the door.

He groaned loudly, wiping at his face again and picking himself up. He was pleased when he didn't stumble on his way to the door, Momo trailing behind him with the countenance of a kicked puppy. Ai pulled the door open, his stomach wrenching at Natsuya standing in the entryway with his arms crossed, a frown slashing harsh across his face.

“You and I need to talk, Nitori-kun,” there was no question in his voice, so Ai simply nodded, turning and grabbing the bag with a frown.

“I couldn't get everything-- police showed up,” he held it out, resisting the urge to yawn. Dealing with Natsuya, in general, was enough of a strain on him, doing it exhausted was even worse. He nodded his head, not reaching out for the stolen goods.

“I know they did,” he said simply, frowning harder and flicking his eyes to Momo then to the doorway to Nagisa and Rei's apartment. “Why don't you send Sparky-chan to get an ice cream or something while we talk inside?”

Ai sucked in a slow breath, his fingers curling tighter around the wood of the door, feeling it bite back into his palm, leaving shallow splinters. “What's going on?”

“We're going to talk. Inside. Or you can come with me and we can talk somewhere else,” his voice was even throughout and Ai gave Momo a single glance before nodded and stepping out.

“I'll be back soon Momo-kun,” he didn't look back over his shoulder as he spoke, worried what kind of face he would be met with. He pulled the door shut behind him, catching when Natsuya glanced again at the door across the hall but deciding not to comment on it. Gang politics weren't something he wanted to be involved with. Instead, he traced quietly a step behind until they reached the back of the building, darkness wrapping around the whole area. Ai felt dead on his feet, pushing hair out of his face.

“What's the issue then?” He didn't have the energy to be tactful and Natsuya snorted, wheeling and suddenly in Ai's space, making him stumble a step backward. It didn't help, he simply followed, frowning harder.

“Do you want to know why you had trouble with the police tonight?” Natsuya asked slowly, but didn't pause to let Ai answer him. “Because a certain cop arrested my lieutenant today. And in exchange for a deal, he decided to give up information on _your_ next job.”

“W- what?” Ai blinked his eyes furiously. He hadn't even met anyone else from Demon's Eye officially, barring Ikuya who never introduced himself, just watched Ai with his almond eyes. 

“Well you see,” Natsuya crossed his arms, and Ai could see black starting to creep over his fingers, sharpening them to points. “I wouldn't have made the connection, except I saw the same cop leaving your fucking apartment this afternoon.”

Ai tried to force his eyes not to go wide at that, trying to will away the furious pounding of his heart, the quiver that trembled up his knees and threatened to send him crashing to the dirty pavement under his feet. Natsuya's eyebrow arched slowly, a smile creeping over his face with it.

“Now, I really thought you were going to be smart enough about this that you wouldn't try something as stupid as ratting to a fucking _cop_ ,” he took another step closer, hand shooting out and wrapping around Ai's neck before he could back away again. The contact with the black skin of his hands made Ai's throat burn, the sound of him attempting to shout coming out strangled even with his air supply flowing normally. “But since you weren't, I'll explain.”

He lifted Ai into the air like he didn't weigh anything, pushing them both a step so Ai's back crashed hard into the brick wall, knocking the air out of his lungs. Natsuya leaned in close, his eyes dark, watching Ai claw at his wrist pathetically. He tried phasing himself out of the grip, only to find that he couldn't, trying to cry out again as the grip tightened. “No getting away now-- you're not going to be telling any more cops anything. You're going to do the jobs I tell you to until I'm finished with you because you don't want to know what kind of consequences crossing me a second time would have, okay?”

He dropped Ai with a grin stretching wicked over his face, laughing as he landed on his knees, coughing hard for air. The skin around his throat still burned and he groaned weakly at a foot crashing on the middle of his back, leaving him flat on his stomach. “Next, you're going to get my friend Nao out of the Registration Crlrenter tomorrow night, okay?”

Ai wanted to shake his head, wanted to push himself up or phase out and run. His survival had always been about escape-- Seijuurou was the fighter, Ai's skill was in getting away, in being uncatchable to begin with. He wasn't used to corners, to cages boxing him in from all sides and making it impossible to find his freedom again. This was the thing that he had feared in every interaction he'd had with the gangs so far, and the reason he was terrified of being Registered too. Natsuya's foot pressed down harder on his back. “Okay?”

He nodded his head, left with no other choice. The pressure lifted off his back and he reflexively rolled onto his side, curling into a ball to protect himself, trying to pull his knees to his chest. There was more laughter above him before Natsuya dropped to squatting next to him, hands on his knees. “Good. I'm glad we get each other. I'm sure you can work the details out, right?”

Ai didn't uncurl but did nod, his voice coming out rough and cracked. “I'll handle it.”

“Excellent. Maybe you'll even find something there for yourself, who knows.”

He didn't move until the sound of Natsuya's footsteps receding faded entirely. His legs shook when he pushed himself to standing, the knees of his pants torn, pavement digging shallow scrapes into them. He ignored it, rubbing at his throat and cringing at the sting of the skin gone chapped and sensitive under his fingers. It took him far longer than it should have to make it back up the stairs-- his head pounding and legs protesting against every step, tired and pained. He didn't try and phase himself through the door for once, simply pushing it open and stumbling through, giving Momo a guilty frown when he stopped pacing the breadth of the room to turn and gape.

“A- Aichi? Are you okay?” He seemed nervous and Ai nodded his head quickly, dropping his hand away from his throat so he didn't call attention to the burn imprinted on it. It was too dark for Momo to notice at the moment, and at least he could avoid explaining that much until morning. Momo twitched in place, seeming unconvinced and throwing sparks into the empty air, lighting it up blue for quick flashes. 

“I'm fine-- I just need to sleep,” his voice was still gravelly, but he pushed himself to walk into the bedroom with Momo trailing anxiously, wringing his hands together.

“We should talk to Tachibana-san about this,” Momo said before Ai hit the bed. He stopped, whirling around with his eyes going wide, mouth dropping open slightly. That was not a name that Momo should have known. Momo seemed to realize it too, holding his hands up. “H- he's friends with Nagisachi!”

“No,” Ai said firmly, shaking his head, wishing that he had the energy to sound more firm. “I'm not getting another gang involved with this.”

“They would help!” Momo protested loudly, his hands balling into fists. “They would help protect us-- they would make him go away. This is their block, right? He's not supposed to be here.”

“No, Momo-kun,” Ai's voice went sharper and despite his exhaustion panic started to bubble up in his stomach. “That's not how it works. If they help us, they'll expect something in return-- it would be trading one cage for another.”

“I don't like this,” Momo didn't quiet his voice down, his body straining tight against his constant desire to _move_ , to act, to do something to help. Ai just shook his head, rubbing his fingers into his temples and squeezing his eyes closed.

“It's my problem, okay Momo-kun?” He didn't open them, or give Momo a chance to start arguing with him about family, about whose problem it really was. “Tonight was a fluke. I'll fix it.”

“You don't even know if he's ever going to call it even,” Momo was almost wailing, frustrated. He shook his head, stepping forward and gripping his hands around Ai's shoulders, both of them ignoring the static charge that leaped off of his hands. “Who says he will ever? He can just keep using you for whatever he wants and doing _this_ when you disagree with him.”

His hand lifted from Ai's shoulders to touch the burn on his neck, making him cringe away slightly at the sting. Momo frowned, pulling his fingers back and shaking his head. “You're letting people hurt you, Aichi. W- what about talking to Rin-san?”

“And tell him what?” Ai's voice rang out louder than he intended, but he still shook his head hard. “That I'm an Unregistered criminal? I'm the person his partner is trying to _catch_ Momo-kun. He's not going to ask about a gang giving me trouble, he's going to put me in handcuffs and stuff me into a cage!”

“Then let me help!” He gave Ai's shoulders a small shake, frowning harder.

Ai squeezed his eyes shut, shaking his head hard. There was a tug, a forgotten part of his memory trying to claw its way across the surface of the brain. The nagging of his anxiety pushed through his limbs and despite the way it made his head throb he phased out of Momo's grip, losing his form entirely, blood dripping slowly out of his nose again. “You can't!”

There was a beat of silence following that until Ai pushed his eyes open again slowly, still fighting the urge to just collapse in a tired heap and go to sleep. He didn't recognize the look on Momo's face, the almost feverish light making his yellow eyes electric. Both his hands were clenched into tight fists, the muscles of his arms straining with the force of his grip. He wasn't familiar with actual anger from Momo-- he looked disturbingly like his brother with it.

“Fine,” he spat quietly like he wanted the word out of his mouth as quickly as possible. He shook his head, turning with his shoulders still strained and tight. “That's fine. You handle it then-- don't let anyone else help you.”

“M- Momo-kun,” he frowned a little, pushing hair out of his face, not sure what to say. It was worse that he couldn't tell Momo that he was wrong-- not really. As much as he didn't want to continue working for Natsuya in any capacity, he wasn't left with many choices, and between involving someone else, or worse, involving Momo and doing it all himself it was obvious which one he should pick.

Momo didn't turn at his name and Ai groaned, dropping to sit on the bed and pushing his face into his hands. He wasn't sure at what point he'd regained his solidity, but he wiped the blood away again and let himself fall back, closing his eyes tightly. His hands were still shaking so he balled them up in the sheets, wishing he could find sleep easily.

He didn't-- despite being overtaxed and exhausted it took him hours to stop hearing Momo spit _'fine'_ at him. It was still rattling in his head when he finally faded into sleep.

 

Despite what Ai had been hoping, things did not seem better in the morning. When he pulled himself out of bed and started getting dressed for the day, Momo was still asleep on the couch and didn't open his eyes when Ai mumbled a quiet goodbye before stepping out the door. It stung in his chest, but he ignored it for the most part. Instead, he walked into the lower blocks, hands tucked into his pockets and head low. If he was going to figure out a way to break Nao out of the Registration Center, he was going to have to see the inside first.

He fixed a small smile to his face when he walked inside, leaning over the tall desk to see the woman sitting behind it, her soft brown hair pulled up into a bun on the top of her head. She looked up at him and blinked slowly, tilting her head. “You here to check on someone?”

“Yes-- Seijuurou Mikoshiba?” He'd been in to ask about Seijuurou before, and he'd received the same answer each time. Something crossed the girl's face before she blinked, looking down at the screen in front of her for a moment before shaking her head.

“Don't have the name here,” she said simply, leaning back in the seat. Ai frowned slightly, rubbing the back of his head.

“Would it be okay if I went and took a look?” It wasn't uncommon for people to register under fake names-- it was part of the reason a number was assigned to them as well. She hesitated, seeming to size Ai up before nodding and pushing back from the desk, walking around it. She wasn't much shorter than he was himself, some of her hair had fallen down from the bun and was curled over the back of her neck, partially covering a tattoo there. Ai blinked at it-- a falcon diving downwards, not any kind of affiliation he recognized, but pulled his eyes away quickly when she led him back to the row of cells holding people awaiting registration. It wasn't hard to pick Nao out, if only because only one person in the four cells had a gang tattoo. Ai didn't linger on staring at him, though, looking around at the other faces as well. He was glad that at least none of them really _were_ Seijuurou until he recalled that it meant he was really still missing. Ai hadn't entirely let go of the hope that he would just come home.

A second person in professional clothing stepped out from a door at the other end of the hall, pink hair fluffed around his head and clever violet eyes scanning over Ai curiously before he looked at the girl. “Yoohoo! Hana-chan! I'm taking my break.”

She turned to him and frowned slightly, crossing her arms over her chest and jutting her hip out to the side. “You haven't even been here for three hours, Kisumi-kun! Tadanori-san is going to be annoyed if you leave.”

“That Sera-chan is all work and no play,” Kisumi pouted, glancing at Ai again with a fox-like smile that made him shift uncomfortably in place. He flicked his eyes back quickly, chuckling. “Tell him I've got a lead to chase.”

“You're not supposed to do that by yourself,” she sighed, shaking her head. “Take someone with you.”

Kisumi wrinkled his nose at that, shaking his head quickly. “Kou-chan is already busy, and--”

“Well, fine. Just go,” she cut him off quickly with a flap of her hand. He stopped, seeming surprised and tilting his head slightly before just shrugging and bobbing his head in a nod, grinning and patting her shoulder as he went back.

“Sure thing, Hana-chan!” He chuckled, bouncing out of the room. Ai didn't miss the small glance she gave him as Kisumi left, nervous energy leaving her stance before she looked at him with a smile.

“Is he here?” She asked, tilting her head and nodding when Ai glanced over the other prisoners before shaking his head quickly.

“N- no, I don't see him,” with the strange conversation over it was getting harder to ignore the way standing in this hall made his heart try and climb into his throat. A smile flickered on her face before vanishing as she led him out.

“Well, I hope you have luck finding your friend,” she chirped before sliding back into her seat, typing something rapidly into the computer. Ai shifted awkwardly for a moment before turning and walking out. He was surprised to see Kisumi still standing by the outside door when he left, and more still when rather than ignoring Ai when he went by, he started walking at Ai's pace, grinning.

“You're looking for somebody, right?” His voice was a purr, sliding down the back of Ai's neck and making him shift uncomfortably. Still, he flicked his eyes up before nodding his head. “What's the name?”

“S- Seijuurou Mikoshiba,” he'd already given the name to the people at the desk more than once, talking to one of the other workers wouldn't make it any worse, he figured if he didn't answer Kisumi could always turn around and look it up. His eyes caught on the Samezuka tattoo on Kisumi's wrist, blinking sharply at it. It was black-- the same color as Makoto's own was. Kisumi grinned, whistling low.

“I know that name,” he said simply, nodding his head back at the building fading away behind them. “But not from in there.”

“D- do you know where he is?” Ai tried to keep his voice hushed, tried to swallow the vain hope that clawed into his throat. Kisumi's grin slid sly, chuckling.

“Let's say that I do know,” he started, tucking his hands in his pockets. “You should know that kind of information is worth something.”

“I--” Ai frowned, looking at his feet and considering. He didn't have the money to pay for information, he was sure, but he did have something else. “I know some things about Demon's Eye that might interest you.”

Kisumi's eyes positively lit up, lifting his arm to show off the tattoo with a small laugh. “Because of this?”

Ai nodded, slouching his shoulders a little more. “Kirishima has been doing jobs in Block 8.”

“Oh?” Kisumi took two quick steps, stopping directly in Ai's path, leaning over with a raised eyebrow. “How does a little mouse like you know these things?”

“Not part of the deal,” Ai said firmly, lifting his face to stare back at Kisumi for the first time. The phrase stuck out oddly to him, but at first he couldn't exactly place why. “Seijuurou?”

“Well,” Kisumi's grin stretched wider. “I'll tell you this, little mouse. Where he's at, you don't wanna be going. If I were you, I'd chase some other crumbs.”

“Tell me where,” Ai tried to keep his voice hard, wishing he couldn't hear the pounding of his heart in his ears. Hearing it used again, he could easily recall Seijuurou patting his head and laughing, calling him 'little mouse' because he was so small and quiet. His hands clenched, frowning harder. Kisumi laughed, shaking his head and leaning away again.

“Sorry, not part of the deal,” he held his hands up, putting one on the back of his head and laughing. “Be careful before you go spilling any more of Kirishima's secrets. He's a bad boy, I'm sure you've noticed.”

Ai lifted his shoulders slightly in an effort to cover the burn on his neck, wishing it weren't so obvious. Kisumi nodded his head and laughed. “That's what I thought. Now, I really do have a lead to chase-- later Mouse-chan.”

Kisumi waved, turning and walked the other way with soft laughter. Ai frowned, twisting his hands around each other before continuing on his way. Maybe he should try asking Makoto again if he knew anything about Seijuurou-- it wasn't as if he could simply take Kisumi's rude advice and give it up. Momo needed him to come home, and Ai knew he needed it too. For more than just getting him out of trouble with Natsuya. It was hard to cope with the stress of taking care of Momo by himself.

He zipped his coat slightly further, feeling self-conscious of the mark, pausing to take stock of his surroundings. He had wandered further out than usual, to a row of nice looking apartment buildings that stretched far higher in the sky than the one he and Momo lived in, and weren't sporting any shattered windows on the facade of the building. He didn't usually like spending his time in the nicer neighborhoods, always feeling like he stood out far too much, like someone would look at him and realize he was a crook or Unregistered and he'd be pinned. There was a nice looking cafe on the other side of the street and Ai darted across to there instead, keeping his hands tucked tight in his pockets to hide their nervous shaking.

It was late enough on a Saturday morning that the atmosphere inside was still fairly relaxed, only a few people lounging in the nice chairs and enjoying their drinks, some talking quietly. Ai relaxed slowly, the tight ball of panic in his stomach starting to unwind as he approached the counter, ordering a drink for himself. Usually, he avoided coffee-- the caffeine tended just to make his normal anxiety even worse, but he was still struggling to sleep, and rather than let it drag on him all day he gave in.

He shifted his weight slightly as he stood at the other end of the counter, blinking as the door jingled to signal it opening and flushing immediately in surprise when Rin walked through the door in full running gear, pulling headphones out of his ears and looking at the barista behind the counter with a sharp grin. His hair was tied up at the back of his head in a tiny ponytail and he drummed his fingers on the counter before ordering. Ai was so caught up in staring for the moment that he almost missed his drink being finished, turning around too quickly and nearly phasing his hand through it.

He noticed it quickly enough to stop himself, praying that the barista handing it over hadn't noticed. He didn't say anything before turning to make Rin's drink. Ai let out a shaky breath, taking a small sip before Rin turned around and blinked at him before grinning sharply. “You know-- stalking me would be illegal.”

Ai blinked at that before laughing and shaking his head, smiling slowly. He probably shouldn't be as relaxed around Rin as he was, should remember that the fact that Rin was a cop was a threat to him in itself, but it was hard. Something about him was comfortable, reassuring-- Ai felt less anxious with him around than he had since Seijuurou had vanished. “I was making a delivery on this side of town and decided I wanted coffee-- it that okay, Officer?”

“I suppose I can let it slide,” he continued grinning, grabbing his drink when it finished and reaching out, tangling the fingers of his free hand with Ai's. “Though now you've got where I live all figured out.”

“I do?” Ai asked softly, not complaining as he stepped outside with Rin's hand warm in his. It was nice-- for a moment he could let his mind stop revolving around Seijuurou and Natsuya and Momo being upset with him. Rin nodded, pointing to the middle apartment building across the street.

“Yep. Right there,” he chuckled, taking a slow sip of his drink. “If you've got time I can show it to you?”

“That sounds good!” Ai chirped, flushing at his own enthusiasm. Rin seemed pleased by it, giving the _doorman_ of the building a nod as they strode in. Ai's face burned as they walked across the lobby, resisting the urge to crane his neck to stare at the high ceiling, trying to act like he wasn't horribly out of place in his worn clothes-- in the same pants he'd torn at the knees last night and a thick sweater with elbows that he'd had to patch more than once to avoid throwing it out.

At least there was no one assigned to manning the elevators, and Rin didn't seem to notice just how thoroughly Ai stood out against the nice atmosphere. He was strangely grateful that Rin was only in his running clothes, looking relaxed and sipping his coffee before raising an eyebrow at Ai. "Do you make a lot of deliveries out here?"

"Oh-- not really. I only do courier stuff on the weekends, but most of it is in the outer blocks," it still wasn't a lie, even if Ai hadn't been specifically making deliveries that day. He did them, in general, though it was more closely working as a bagman, depending on who hired him. Rin nodded, seeming to turn it over thoughtfully in his head.

"Have you heard from your brother yet?" He didn't ask until they stepped out of the elevator and Ai blinked, surprised by Rin identifying Seijuurou as his brother. Still, he shook his head, taking a too-long drink of his coffee to buy him a moment for thinking. He couldn't exactly explain the conversation he'd had with Kisumi, or the nagging feeling it had left him with. The elevator stopped on the 8th floor and they both stepped out.

"I haven't heard anything," he said slowly, watching Rin unlock the door to his apartment and only blushing a little as he stepped inside. He sighed, pushing his bangs out of his face and stepping carefully out of his shoes. "I wish he would just come home."

"I-- probably shouldn't ask this," Rin stopped at the door, watching Ai and rubbing his neck before looking sharply away. "And remember I'm not on duty or anything, it's just a hunch. But, he's Unregistered, right?"

Ai didn't freeze, but he did pause to consider Rin thoughtfully. There was no way to answer without outright lying, which he wasn't sure he wanted to do any more of where Rin was concerned. But the idea of simply confessing to a cop that anyone was Unregistered sat tight and uncomfortable in his stomach. He let the seconds draw out without saying anything before softly asking a question. "What's your hunch?"

"Well," Rin leaned his back against the couch and Ai took a small moment to notice how put-together the room seemed for Rin just living by himself. There was a wall full of nicely organized pictures to the side and all the furniture matched. "Everyone that's gone missing has either been from the outer blocks or Registered as a High Threat."

Ai cocked his head slightly, resisting the urge to wring his fingers together or give away his nerves some other way. "What does that mean then?"

"Haven't figured it out yet," Rin sounded frustrated by that fact, and Ai wondered how long he'd been working on this specific case. "But if he's Unregistered, it's harder to tell since we can't keep track of him."

"Being Registered didn't stop the others from vanishing," Ai pointed out then stopped when Rin's face dropped slightly, abruptly remembering that Rin's sister was missing as well. He shook his head quickly, frowning and crossing to where Rin was standing. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean--"

"Nah, I get it," Rin smiled slightly, reaching out and stroking the back of Ai's head softly. "The system hasn't exactly been a blessing for people, I know that."

"C- can I ask what made you want to be a cop then?" Ai ventured timidly, still feeling bad over his comment. He leaned into the gentle touch of Rin's fingers, watching him curiously. Rin paused before nodding his head slowly.

"My dad was a cop before they even started the Registration system-- he didn't agree with it and he died in the uprisings," Rin sighed, shifting and tugging Ai around the couch, letting them both sit down on it. He could see the reflection of an old ache in Rin's eyes when he spoke, reaching out and lacing their fingers together for some kind of reassurance. Rin smiled, just a little. "I know it sounds stupid, signing up to be one of the people who makes it work in the first place, but-- if I'm going to have any effect on how it runs, I have to do that from within the system itself."

Ai blinked slowly, surprised by the answer itself, flushing a little when Rin rubbed at the back of his neck and sighed. "At least, that's what I'd like. Right now I mostly take missing person reports and I can't even stop petty criminals or find my own sister."

"You do a lot more than any other cop I've met," Ai shrugged, enjoying the way it made Rin's smile grow a little. "Growing up in the outer ring doesn't exactly instill a great love for law enforcement."

"I've heard that before," Rin laughed softly, draping his arm over Ai's shoulders and shrugging. "I hope you know that you can trust me. I didn't grow up with all of that, but I still understand it."

"I do trust you," Ai said softly, surprised by how much he actually meant it. Part of him wanted to explain everything to Rin like Momo had suggested-- the Phantom Thief and Seijuurou and his troubles with Natsuya, but even with his faith placed in Rin it still seemed like too much. "He-- Seijuurou-kun, and Momo-kun, they're the closest thing to a family I have. I need some way to find him."

"Is the kid handling it alright? He seems worried," Rin paused, humming thoughtfully. "About him and about you."

"He doesn't need to worry so much-- I can take care of things until Sei-kun comes back, it's just... harder," Ai's face soured, wondering if Momo was going to be any less mad at him by the time he went home. It was tempting to try and avoid it, but he needed his Phantom Thief disguise for breaking Nao out of the Registration Center later on. "We sort of had an argument last night. He wants to help, I know he does, but I don't want him getting involved in anything dangerous."

"You shouldn't be getting involved either," Rin rolled his eyes, poking at Ai's nose with a frown. "Gangs and shit can be really nasty business, you should be careful."

Ai chuckled at that, managing to at least keep the bitterness out of his voice. He couldn't exactly argue with them being dangerous, really. Though they had managed to stay on good terms with most of them right up until very recently, made easier by the fact that they all seemed to trust Seijuurou on some level. “I'm only involved in things I need to be.”

It was meant to sound lighthearted, but instead it came out more like a declaration and Rin frowned before sighing and dropping his hand with a small roll of his eyes. “That's how people get sucked into gangs, you know. They start thinking they need them to get by.”

“Some people do need them to get by,” Ai shrugged, rubbing the back of his head. “Not all of them are so bad, at least.”

“You're making me nervous here,” Rin laughed softly, shaking his head. “First Haru's boyfriend and then you?”

Ai started to open his mouth to ask what Rin meant about Makoto but reminded himself quickly that as far as Rin was concerned he shouldn't really know either of them. Or that they were dating. Or that Makoto was probably a far more important gang member than Rin expected. Instead, he beamed softly and shook his head, chuckling. “I'm not in any trouble, promise.”

“If you say so,” Rin grinned but didn't look entirely convinced still. Instead, Ai craned his neck to look around the room, smiling.

“You know, this is pretty nice for someone living alone,” he smiled, looking back at Rin and was pleased to find him chuckling, red creeping into his cheeks.

“My sister did a lot of the decorating--” he paused, taking in Ai's raised eyebrow. “Okay, she did all of the decorating. She was gonna move in if we were able to get permission for it.”

Ai nodded along with his words, pushing himself off the couch and padding over to the pictures scattered across one of the walls, leaning on his toes to examine them with a smile. He recognized Rin's sister fairly easily-- they looked alike and were in most of the pictures together, sometimes along with Rin's partner and even Haru tucked into the background looking like he'd like to be anywhere else, when he was even paying attention to the photo being taken at all.

He paused at the last two, trying to keep himself from frowning as he stared at them. One was obviously taken after some kind of swimming competition, with the three of them still in their suits, medals hanging around their necks. He didn't recognize the fourth person with his arm slung over Haru's shoulders, but he was surprised to see all of them smiling. The next was Rin and Sousuke with Rin's sister once again, a scattering of pink petals under their feet, Rin and Sousuke both holding diplomas and looking like they were about to start a sword fight with them.

Ai tried not to be jealous of both of them-- Momo and Seijuurou had both been able to do formal schooling for awhile. Seijuurou had managed to graduate, but Momo had been forced to drop out after being Registered. Ai knew it wasn't personal that he didn't go; he didn't have enough control over himself even now to be sure that he wouldn't be found out if he was stuck with people around him every day. Instead, he'd mostly learned from Seijuurou's work and his infrequent tutoring between odd jobs.

Rin's hand landing on his shoulder nearly made Ai reflexively try to phase away, but he caught himself, looking up with a smile that felt forced even to him. “These are nice pictures.”

“Ah-- yeah. Our mom really loves photography, so she's always taken a ton,” Rin rolled his eyes, still grinning at them all despite his forced tone of annoyance. Ai nodded, heat creeping into his cheeks as he stood slowly, chewing on his lip a little. There was an uncomfortable fluttering in his chest and he shook his head quickly.

“I- I'm sorry-- I should get going,” Ai cursed the tremble that crept into his voice. Rin looked startled, blinking his eyes as Ai stumbled two quick steps back, landing out of his reach. It was strangely too much all at once, weighing on him from all sides. He fixed a smile to his face quickly, smoothing his panic out under the surface. “I promised Momo-kun I would be back in time for lunch.”

Rin blinked, seeming more than a little confused but nodding his head slightly, opening his mouth to comment but not quite getting the words out before Ai beat a hasty retreat through the door. He rode the elevator down by himself, shaking his head and scrubbing his palms into his eyes, rubbing away the small itch of tears there. The awareness that he was being foolish was apparently not enough to simply make him stop and by the time he was making his way through the too-big lobby again his hands were starting to tremble out of control. The doorman stared as he walked out, a frown on his face. Ai did his best to ignore it, tucking his shoulders up by his ears and hanging his head low as he set towards home.

His sudden panic had made him forget about the argument with Momo until he was actually staring at their building, groaning and resting his head on the cold bricks, squeezing his eyes shut. He was struggling with the urge to bang his head against the wall, frowning. He was glad no one he knew him came by, leaving him to struggle in silence. Eventually, the need to prepare for his evening job made him lift his head up, rubbing at the small red mark on his forehead and walking up the stairs.

Momo wasn't there when Ai phased through the door, making him blink furiously in confusion. There was a sprawl of electronic bits and ends on the table, a hallmark of his strange hobby. Ai leaned over, brushing his hair out of his face and examining the device. It wasn't something he recognized, which was worrying on its own-- usually Momo was busy picking apart whatever he could find in the house; the remote, a broken cellphone, once or twice he'd found his way into the kitchen and taken apart their old coffee maker. Ai picked up one of the pieces, turning it in his hand with a frown. It took a long moment of sorting through for him to gather that this had been a radio or a scanner at some point before Momo had taken it apart. Ai set them carefully back into place, stepping back out into the hall, glad phasing himself no longer made his head pound painfully. He tried, usually, not to overextend himself so much, and sometimes he could still feel the after-effects for days. He knocked softly on Rei and Nagisa's door, a small smile on his face when the former opened it, reflexively adjusting his glasses.

"Ah-- good afternoon Ryugazaki-kun. I wanted to check in on Momo-kun," he smiled, not expecting Rei's face to go pale, his eyes a little wide before he adjusted his frames once again to cover for it. Ai frowned harder, glancing back at their apartment. "He's... not home so I assumed..."

“He-- may have gone out with Nagisa-kun earlier, though I had assumed he was doing so with your permission,” Rei shifted uncomfortably when Ai frowned harder, looking like he distinctly wanted to flee.

“Doing what with my permission?” He asked, voice brittle and soft, threatening to break apart at any second. He couldn't handle this right now-- Momo running off without even telling him. He didn't need another brother to go missing, to leave him all alone with how poorly equipped he was to actually take care of anyone. Rei cleared his throat stopping the wild swirling of Ai's thoughts.

“I assume he has been helping Nagisa-kun perform odd jobs about town, in return for a share of the payment,” Rei's smile looked like it wanted to be reassuring, but it didn't quite make it all the way there. Ai appreciated the gesture regardless, aware Rei wasn't always the most comfortable with other people. He could relate to that much at least.

“I-- I see. No, I didn't know anything about that,” his voice was slightly stronger this time at least, less likely to fracture into pieces. Still, he gave Rei a small bow of his head, mumbling his thanks before turning and phasing through the door once more. There was a twinge in his head and he resolved to put his thoughts of Momo possibly being stolen off the streets out of his head. Nagisa was street-smart and trustworthy, and it wasn't as if Ai could go combing though the whole city to find him. He was aware that Momo probably needed some space at the moment anyway, and instead he settled himself carefully on the couch to try and nap, to regain some of his energy before tackling the subject of breaking Nao out of a cage once night fell. 

 

It was the first time in weeks that sleep found him easily, and it was so deep that when the door opened to Momo coming home he woke almost violently, rolling off the couch and nearly phasing himself through the floor, heart pounding from a dream that slipped from his memory as soon as his eyes opened.

“A- Aichi?” Momo's voice was almost wary, not something that Ai was used to hearing from him. He picked himself off the worn floor, wiping his stinging palms on his knees and smiling slightly.

“S- sorry Momo-kun, I dozed off. You just startled me,” his heart was still pounding furiously in his ears, and from the darkness in the room he could tell that night was just starting to set in. He rubbed at his tired eyes before smiling slowly. “Did you have a good time with Nagisa-kun?”

He didn't miss the flicker of guilt and surprise on Momo's face before he rubbed the back of his head and nodded slowly. “I like spending time with him.”

“It's okay,” Ai said, keeping his voice soft. He knew he'd already lost this battle-- that trying to keep Momo trapped inside all the time wasn't going to work out in his favor forever. “Just-- I need to know, okay?”

Momo nodded his head, smiling sheepishly and Ai didn't push him any further. There was still a strain from their argument earlier, a fuse neither one of them wanted to light for the moment. Ai stood, stretching his arms over his head and breathing out slowly before turning to his already gathered pile of Phantom Thief gear. He didn't stop to watch Momo frown at it, tracing back to the bedroom to change. He glanced over his shoulder, hugging it to his chest. “M- Momo-kun--”

Momo had already taken his usual spot on the couch, the light above him flickering on with a small jolt of power before he started picking at the scanner, not looking up at the sound of Ai's soft call of his name. Ai sighed, shaking his head and turning to get ready.

 

By the time he crept to the outside of the Registration Center it was already closed to the public-- the front of the building dark with bars shining over the windows. Ai ignored them, creeping instead around the side of the building instead. It was always hard to estimate the distance on the outside, especially after having seen the layout only once, and so Ai wasn't surprised when he phased through the wall and did not find himself in the cell-lined hallway that he was searching for.

Still, it wasn't a large enough building for him to be worried, and while he lowered himself to a skulking crouch, he kept his whole body, save the soles of his feet, phased out so that any kind of security would be less likely to pick up on him. He hadn't the chance to really test the details of what he could avoid here and what he couldn't, and if there were cameras manned by an actual person he probably would be in trouble, but anything automated seemed generally blind to him.

He moved through the walls that he encountered, breathing a sigh of relief when he finally found the hall that he was looking for. The cells were fuller than before, and while Ai's heart pained slightly for the others awaiting being Registered, he made himself focus on what he was looking for.

He eased his way to the cell holding Nao, dropping his voice to a hiss. “N- Nao! I need you to take my hand!”

The young man with bright gray hair like his own lifted his head with a slow blink, regarding him with sleepy green eyes before slowly grinning. “You're Natsuya-kun's new errand boy?”

Ai frowned at that, holding his hand through the bars impatiently. He solidified it just before Nao took hold, ignoring the other prisoners staring at him and his dark clothes and matching mask. More exploits to make the Phantom Thief a shade too famous for Ai's comfort.

That was until Nao touched his hand and alarms started blaring on all sides of them. The shock made Ai phase completely out, taking Nao with them because of the physical contact. His head instantly throbbed from the draw of power and he yanked his arm sharply, shouting as he pulled Nao through the bars though the sound was mostly lost in the blaring of the alarm.

There was no sound of a door swinging open to signal security arriving, and so when Ai turned to find a yawning pink portal with Kisumi stepping out of it, stretching his arms over his head in a wide yawn, he froze. Nao had let go of his hand, leaving himself fully solid once again and Kisumi squinted his eyes, taking in Ai with a slow smile.

“Mouse-chan! That's a pretty good look for you,” he leaned forward, grinning and passing his hand through Ai with a laugh. “It falters a little when you get up close and personal, doesn't it?”

Ai shuddered at the feeling of warmth passing through his body, stumbling back from Kisumi's grip and solidifying once again. Even with his cover blown he didn't want to take the mask or the hat off and risk someone else recognizing him.

He didn't get the chance to worry about it.

The portal behind Kisumi didn't close until two more people stepped through. The first was a young woman that he didn't recognize with a bright smile and a white scarf wrapped around her neck. She looked first at Kisumi, blinking at his sleepy demeanor, then at Ai and Nao, her smile never dimming.

“Phantom Thief!” She chirped, sounding almost eager about it. She continued speaking, but Ai couldn't register anything she said, too busy staring at Seijuurou as he stepped through the portal.

Every instinct telling him to flee went suddenly silent-- even the constant companion of his own anxiety couldn't get him to move. Kisumi whistled softly under his breath as Seijuurou's jaw dropped open slightly, watching Ai with wide eyes. “W- what are you doing here Ai?”

“Oh, you know him?” The girl turned to Seijuurou with curiosity in her brown eyes, cocking her head. Kisumi grinned and nodded, the motion apparently still beyond Seijuurou.

“It's his little brother, Zaki-chan. Or, one of them at least. The bigger little brother,” Kisumi sounded like a cat who had caught a canary and Zaki nodded her head in understanding.

“We should let him handle it then, right?” There was a slow wickedness in her smile that made Ai's heart thrum faster as he stood slowly. There was a tattoo of a diving falcon on Seijuurou's forearm that Ai didn't recognize, and Ai watched him look at the other two and frown, shaking his head sharply, something like fear in his eyes.

“W- wait a second, I don't--” he sucked in a sharp breath, like he was in pain, squeezing his eyes shut and clenching his hands into tight fists. His whole posture was strained, breath coming in several shallow gasps before the girl lifted a hand and touched his brow.

“Now now, Seijuurou-kun. We have a job to do, try to remember,” her voice was honey sweet, lips moving close to his ear. At first Seijuurou shook his head, leaning like he was trying to get away, but she continued stroking his forehead and he relaxed, the pain going out of his body language and his eyes slipping open slowly.

“I understand. I'll handle it,” his voice was even, calm and Ai wasn't sure how to feel. Something inside of him was still screaming that he couldn't run away-- this was Seijuurou still, the person who had spent more than a decade protecting him, making sure he had a home and food and clothes, teaching him lessons smuggled home from school. He had never once feared Seijuurou, there had never been a reason to.

But Seijuurou lifted his head slowly and a red light built in his eyes, lines of bright gold and orange streaming across his face, down his neck and over his arms until his hands were engulfed in the blinding brilliance of the light. Ai still couldn't connect his brain to his legs, couldn't make himself move out of the way of the first swing that lit the center of his chest up with heat and pain and sent him sprawling on his back, staring at the ceiling with confusion.

He pushed himself onto his elbows quickly, staring at the brightly burning figure that Seijuurou made standing over him, resolve written on the soft lines of his face. They were the same eyes he remembered, even overtaken with red, clear and sharp. Seijuurou lifted his gaze to stare at Nao still in the hallway as well, trying to make his way to the far door while everyone else was occupied.

It was the time Ai should have run-- the other two were gone along with the portal that they had used and he pushed himself up, swaying and coughing slightly at the pain in his chest. He turned to see Seijuurou with one burning hand wrapped around Nao's throat, the heat singeing off the ends of his hair where they brushed Seijuurou's fist. He lifted Nao away from the ground with a grunt, turning and slamming him into the ground so hard it shuddered slightly. Ai could see the build of silver plasma around Nao's fingers suddenly stop, the beads dropping uselessly to the ground as his eyes fluttered.

Apparently satisfied by Nao's struggle with consciousness, Seijuurou stood again, looking at Ai with a frown and a shake of his head. It had been a long time since Ai had last seen Seijuurou burn this brightly, the shape of him making dark spots swim in Ai's vision, having to force himself to look away and throw up an arm to cover his face in shade. “S- Sei-kun, what are you doing here?”

It was hard to focus with the heat and pressure bearing down on him, worse when Seijuurou leaned forward and balled one golden hand in the fabric of Ai's sweater, lifting him off the ground and hauling him into the air so they were staring one another in the eyes. “This is my job.”

“Why haven't you come home?” It was so hard to stare him in the face but this close Ai couldn't look away, couldn't stop the well of tears in his eyes, his head shaking back and forth as Seijuurou's hand released him to fall back to the floor. “We need you. You have to come home with me!”

“I can't,” he stumbled a step back, hands clenching and releasing like he wasn't sure what to do with them. His eyes seemed to flicker between the harsh red and their usual yellow, shaking himself like a dog trying to get rid of water as the building light stopped-- receding slowly. “Ai, you need to leave. Right now.”

“N- no. I can't go without you. Please-- Momo needs you to come home... I need you to come home,” his words felt too small when they left his mouth, back aching from hitting the ground again. Seijuurou shook his head, his shoulders going hard and tense again.

“You don't understand. I can't go home. I have to stay here and if you don't leave--” he stopped sharply, inhaling several strained breaths, trembling. “Leave. I can't hold this for long.”

“Please,” Ai scrambled up to his feet, reaching out and gripping Seijuurou's hand, feeling tears roll down his cheeks. He couldn't stop them, couldn't even spare the time to wipe them away. “Please, you have to.”

There was a shudder through his whole body that Ai could feel-- a clipped growling sound rolling out of his mouth before the light started building again. He didn't expect the hard crash of a wide fist against the side of his face, making his vision swim with blackness and gold light, stumbling away from where he had been holding Seijuurou's hand. He looked up to find the same kind of desperation in Seijuurou's eyes that fluttered in his chest, this time seeing the pull back of his hand and attempting to phase himself away from it.

Too late he remembered that he was useless against the light and heat wrapped around Seijuurou's hands, and when it collided with his stomach he lost the phase, doubling over and hitting the ground on his knees, coughing and rolling to a stop against the wall when it was followed by a knee hitting his jaw.

His mouth tasted like blood, and his skin _burned_ where he'd been hit, but the last strike had left him curled against the wall with several feet of distance between them. He pushed himself up slowly, spitting blood onto the floor and staring at Seijuurou before turning and sucking in a labored breath, phasing himself through the wall and out of the building into the cold night air.

The mask and hat had been knocked off him in the fight and he stumbled blindly through the street, unsure of where he was even trying to go until he recognized Rin's building looming in front of him. It was just as well, he decided because he was sure he wasn't going to be able to walk home. He was hugging both arms around his stomach, panting before pushing himself through the side of the building and into the silent lobby, mostly stumbling into the elevator and pushing the button for the 8th floor with his elbow.

By the time he reached it the adrenaline had ebbed out of his veins, leaving him to feel the full ache of his whole body, the burned skin and bruises left behind. He had to straighten to pound a fist on Rin's door, leaning his back on the frame with a groan. His eyes were squeezed shut when it opened to Rin.

“What the fuck-- Ai?” He sounded shocked and Ai eased his eyes open slowly, aware of what a sight he must have been. He managed to smile slightly, aware that one of his eyes was slightly obscured by red and his forehead must have been cut as well. He lifted a hand to try to swipe it away but must have more slowly than he thought because Rin's was already there by the time he reached it, pushing his bangs out of the way. “What the fuck happened to you?”

Ai couldn't make the pieces of his mind connect well enough to come up with a satisfying lie, instead he just shook his head and leaned slightly into Rin's hand. “Can I come inside?”

Rin blinked at him but shifted to help Ai walk, supporting most of his weight with an arm wrapped around his side. He kicked the door shut behind them, guiding Ai to sit down on the couch and stalking into the kitchen. Despite the fact that he wanted to argue against being left alone, he decided against it, tilting his head back and letting his eyes close with a slow groan.

It was probably a bad idea, being here so beaten and tired and fractured, but walking home wasn't going to happen right away and facing Momo was going to be even worse. The best case scenario would be convincing Rin to give him a ride home, at least, without having to explain that _Seijuurou_ had just attacked him. The thought alone made his stomach clench, the aches in his body more pronounced. He started a little when he felt fingers brushing his hair away from the cut, followed by a cool cloth wiping away the blood.

“Did you get fucking jumped or something? What's going on?” Rin was sounding more and more alarmed and Ai just nodded his head, still struggling to think of anything that would sound halfway believable.

“Found Seijuurou,” Ai managed, pushing his palms into his eyes with a hiss and knocking Rin's hands away. There were tears leaking out of his eyes, running hot trails down his cheeks and it was all too much to process. He pushed his eyes open, rubbing the tears away. “I-- can I just stay here? O- on the couch is fine, I just need to--”

“Woah, calm down,” Rin pushed himself over the back of the couch, his arms wrapping around Ai's shoulders slowly, letting him lean into the warmth of his chest. “You can stay here if you need to, I just wanna know what happened to you. You found your brother?”

“Y- yeah,” Ai could feel himself trembling, didn't have the energy to do anything other than hope he held his form. Rin's hold on his shoulder tightened though, warm words pressing into his hair.

“Ssh, okay. We can talk about it later, it's okay,” his hand rubbed over Ai's back slowly until he stopped shaking so badly. Rin leaned back, rustling in the first aid kit he must have grabbed from the kitchen along with the cloth. He dabbed blood away from Ai's forehead again before pressing a bandage there, another one ending up on his jaw. Rin gave his leg a reassuring squeeze. “Do you hurt anywhere else?”

Ai nodded, sitting up enough to pull the sweater over his head with a grunt. There were pink burns dotting his chest, matching the slightly older one around his throat and Rin hissed out a curse. He dabbed at those with the cloth as well, each touch of it making Ai try and squirm away. “S- sorry. I shouldn't have--”

“Quit that,” Rin's voice came out a little sharp and he shook his head, rolling his eyes. He lifted a hand to stroke at Ai's hair again, sighing. “I get that you're someone that likes to take care of himself, I do. But you aren't weak if you let other people help you too, okay?”

Ai blinked his eyes, surprised by the words before nodding his head slowly. Something in Rin's face softened further and he wrapped an arm around Ai's side again, lifting him off the couch and shuffling him towards the bedroom, ignoring Ai's mostly grunted protest.

“Okay, pants and shoes off, I'll get you some of my stuff to wear,” Rin set him lightly on the edge of the bed, his directions quick and leaving no more room for Ai to argue. He didn't try, toeing off his shoes at the foot of the bed and wiggling out of the torn jeans. Rin passed him a pair of sweatpants and a loose shirt, helping Ai get the pants on and chuckling slightly when they pooled at his feet, brushing a kiss to his forehead. “Cute. They'll do well enough.”

He stood, starting to turn before Ai's fingers caught the back of his shirt, tugging and making him turn again. He frowned, feeling heat rise into his face and making the bruises throb with the beating of his heart, didn't care. “C- can you just... stay with me?”

He asked hesitantly but smiled when Rin nodded slowly, pulling the covers back and letting them both slide under, his arms wrapping around Ai, letting him wiggle them close together until Ai's head was tucked under his chin. He drew tiny, nonsense patterns on Rin's collarbone, following them with soft kisses. “Thank you. I just need--”

“It's alright... you'll feel better in the morning, okay? I promise,” Rin smiled against the top of his head, lulling him to sleep with strokes of his back and hummed snippets of a tune that Ai wasn't sure if he remembered or not.


	5. Chasing The Dragons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “It's alright, Momo-kun. I ended up spending the night at Rin's because I wasn't sure if I could walk all the way home and it was closer,” there was already sleep creeping into the edges of Ai's voice and Momo's frown etched deeper, his fingers curling to fists and releasing quickly, not sure what to do with his hands, how to expel the building energy inside his chest.
> 
> “Did you tell _him_ what happened?” He hated the venom in his own voice, hated fighting with Ai at all. But he wasn't a child that his brothers could simply protect from the outside world forever, especially if one of them was still missing. He didn't miss the cringe of Ai's shoulders, the way they curled inward like he wanted to protect himself.
> 
> “I told him I got mugged looking for information about Sei-kun,” he answered softly, frowning like his own answer didn't ring quite right. Momo blinked, cocking his head to the side.
> 
> “You told him you were looking for nii-chan?” It seemed like an odd choice of a lie, not that Momo had expected Ai to trust someone like Rin with the truth. Ai wouldn't even trust Momo with the truth, not really, and it was hard to pretend that didn't sting in his chest.

Momo was not a deep sleeper. He was fairly sure that Seijuurou could sleep through anything and Ai practically only slept once a week. But Momo woke up to simple sounds; shoes on the floor or the front door opening.

After Ai left, none of those things woke him up. His eyes opened to light streaming through the dirty panes of the window, the curtain that had once been there was singed and eventually jerked down by Ai when he decided he would find new ones that never made their way to the house in the end. Momo bolted upright in a panic, looking around the room wildly. He swung his legs off the couch, hopping up and rushing to check that Ai hadn't phased himself all the way through to the bedroom to avoid waking him up. But he found the bed undisturbed. There was another jolt of panic in his chest, filling his blood with static while his brain sorted through the things that could keep Ai from coming home.

All of them involved Kirishima- Ai had never had a job go so badly before he'd gotten involved with paying off Seijuurou's debts. Momo wasn't sure what the debt could be over-- Seijuurou didn't gamble, and if he did he wouldn't leave Ai to clean up his mess. Momo knew what he was expected to do if Ai got caught (Momo refused to consider either of them being dead at any point), go talk to Rei and Nagisa, wait a few days before talking to any of the police and never mention the Phantom Thief. But instead of doing any of those things he let the buzz of fear in his head led him to dropping back to dent in the old couch that was already shaped to his body.

It was less than an hour of sitting in uncharacteristic stillness before Ai did walk through the door, shoulders slumped inward and head lowered, the once nice sweater that had made up half of his Phantom Thief outfit was rumpled and he shuffled his feet slightly when he moved. Momo nearly vaulted himself over the couch, flinging his arms around Ai's shoulders and dropping his forehead to his brother's shoulder. “Aichi!”

“Ah-- Momo-kun,” Ai sounded almost surprised, but he didn't quite lift his head away from the crush of Momo's body, leaning into the hug and slowly raising his arms to tangle his fingers in the back of Momo's shirt, holding him there just as tightly. “I'm sorry. I know I'm late.”

Once the surprise of the hug wore off, Ai simply sounded drained. Momo blinked, leaning back as far as Ai's tight grip would allow him to, mouth dropping open slightly at the bruises on his face. There were bandages on his jaw and forehead along with pink burns along his jaw that darkened painfully in the center. Ai's mouth pulled to a thin line, dropping his arms slowly and shaking his head with a little sigh. “Please don't worry about it, Momo-kun.”

“Aichi... what happened?” The question came out only a little louder than a breath, shock and concern stealing away Momo's usual volume. He was careful not to reach out and touch, taking another step back and noting the way Ai was leaning slightly to one side rather than standing straight. Ai just shook his head, squeezing his eyes closed for a moment.

He didn't seem panicked, he seemed exhausted. He looked like all the fight and determination had been sucked out of his body, like he was helpless. Momo had never seen Ai look actually defeated by anything before-- it had always seemed like he was impossible to really stop, like he couldn't be knocked down by any force on earth because he simply had more willpower than anything that was thrown at him. He didn't let Ai give him a placating answer, resting one buzzing hand lightly on his shoulder. “Please, tell me what's going on.”

“There was different security than I was expecting,” Ai answered slowly, his eyes flicking away from actually looking at Momo, fixed on the dusty corners of the room instead. “I couldn't break Nao out-- I was lucky I got out myself.”

“W-what?” Momo shook his head, frowning hard. He hopped back half a step, watching Ai shuffle himself to essentially fall onto the couch, eyes shutting a little.

“It's alright, Momo-kun. I ended up spending the night at Rin's because I wasn't sure if I could walk all the way home and it was closer,” there was already sleep creeping into the edges of Ai's voice and Momo's frown etched deeper, his fingers curling to fists and releasing quickly, not sure what to do with his hands, how to expel the building energy inside his chest.

“Did you tell _him_ what happened?” He hated the venom in his own voice, hated fighting with Ai at all. But he wasn't a child that his brothers could simply protect from the outside world forever, especially if one of them was still missing. He didn't miss the cringe of Ai's shoulders, the way they curled inward like he wanted to protect himself.

“I told him I got mugged looking for information about Sei-kun,” he answered softly, frowning like his own answer didn't ring quite right. Momo blinked, cocking his head to the side.

“You told him you were looking for nii-chan?” It seemed like an odd choice of a lie, not that Momo had expected Ai to trust someone like Rin with the truth. Ai wouldn't even trust Momo with the truth, not really, and it was hard to pretend that didn't sting in his chest. 

“I-- well,” Ai sighed and shrugged his shoulders, looking down at his fingers with a little twitch. “I was tired at the time, I couldn't think.”

“Oh,” Momo could hear the sound of lies being piled on top of lies. He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck, twisting his fingers into his hair. “What are you gonna do about Kirishima-san?”

“I don't know,” Ai answered, shaking his head and rubbing at his eyes. “I'm sorry Momo-kun... I just-- I need to sleep before I can figure this all out.”

“Okay,” he agreed to it more easily than usual, offering a hand to pull Ai up off the couch, watching him shuffle his way back to the bedroom. The lack of a door meant that it was impossible to miss when Ai shrugged off his rumpled sweater, pink burns ringing dark bruises on his side and his stomach. Momo's gut twisted, turning away quickly and waiting until the sounds of Ai shuffling around faded into quiet snores, a signal of him finally giving into his exhaustion and sleeping.

He let himself out quietly after that, pulling on a worn, yellow hoodie and tucking his hands in the pockets, teeth digging into his lip. It didn't matter anymore that Ai didn't want to get Samezuka involved with his problems-- Momo was going to do it for him.

The hardest part wasn't finding Makoto to talk with him-- it was Momo's knowledge that he didn't really have anything to trade for help. He didn't have Seijuurou's strength or Ai's force of will. To this point, he'd lived his whole life relying on those two and their skills to take care of him and now he didn't have either to offer when he needed to help his family out. He could feel the frustrated energy crackling off the tips of his hair and huffed, tugging his hood up to try and contain it. 

Spending time with Nagisa he had at least pinned down where Makoto could usually be found. The trick was finding the buildings with the red Samezuka logo under one of the windows, and hoping that it was the right one. Nagisa seemed to have a knack for knowing exactly which one he wanted on any given day, but Momo suspected that was more due to Rei than there being a better way of telling. Still, he nudged his way through the door of the first one he found with a little frown, peeking his head in and gripping the tips of his fingers around the door, blinking furiously when Kazuki lifted his head to stare back at him, raising an eyebrow before grinning around the cigarette in his mouth.

“Mikoshiba-kun! Were we expecting you today?” He blew smoke as he spoke and Momo stepped through the door, shaking his head as he pushed it shut behind him, puffing his chest out and letting his hood fall off once again.

“N- no. But I need to talk to Tachibana-san right away!” His voice came out louder than he wanted it to, but he just kept his chin tilted up, watching Kazuki blink slowly before pushing himself to his feet.

“Eh? He might not have time, he's got all his kiddos with him today,” he shrugged, turning towards the stairs and waving Momo after him. “We can ask, though.”

“T- Tachibana-san has kids?” Momo blinked furiously, trying to reconcile that image with the pretty boy Makoto always seemed to have around him. He wasn't dense enough to ignore the sappy looks they were always tossing back and forth. Kazuki shook his head with a laugh.

“Siblings. His and Shigino-san's. They're your age,” Kazuki shrugged and Momo had to bite back the argument that he most certainly wasn't a kid. He trailed Kazuki's steps up the stairs and stopped, giving Rei an energetic wave when he saw him standing stiffly outside a door at the end of the hallway.

“Makoto-san got time to see this one?” Kazuki nodded his head back at Momo and cocked an eyebrow. Rei hesitated for a moment before nodding his head and opening the door, pushing his glasses up and glancing at Momo.

“I'm surprised to see you here without Nagisa-kun,” there was a clear thread of disapproval in Rei's voice and Momo squared his shoulders further, hoping that Rei wouldn't decide to call Ai right away.

“Family business,” he was glad he didn't stumble when he said it, ducking past Rei and tucking his hands in his pockets when the door swung shut behind him. He didn't expect Haru to be there as well, with a boy and a girl Momo's age basically hanging off his shoulders, a book spread in his lap. He stopped reading when Momo walked in, and Makoto's voice died suddenly from where he had been talking to a slightly younger boy with a spray of light pink hair and sharp purple eyes. 

Momo hesitated before bowing stiffly, clenching his hands into fists in his pocket and squeezing his eyes shut. He tried to ignore all of them staring at him, swallowing hard and speaking directly to the crooked boards under his feet. “T- Tachibana-san! I- I need your help!”

He remained bent at the waist, gritting his teeth slightly when there wasn't an immediate response. The silence gave way quickly to the girl giggling, followed by the boy who looked disturbingly like her. Momo lifted his head, red splashing over his cheeks. The girl had green-ish hair that hung to the middle of her back, draping over her shoulders and framing her round face, while the boys was a brown closer to Makoto's hair. “Oh, nii-chan is important!”

“Ah--” Makoto cleared his throat, blinking and standing up, rubbing the back of his head. “Momotarou-kun. Why don't you um, stand?”

Momo stood upright again slowly, frowning and squeezing his hands tighter. Makoto's smile was the most calming thing he'd encountered all day. Makoto continued beaming, squeezing his shoulder softly. “What is it you need my help with?”

“N- Natsuya Kirishima is threatening my brother,” he responded softly, twisting his fingers together and hoping he didn't accidentally electrocute Makoto. “He... he says that nii-chan-- Seijuurou, owes him a debt and Aichi has to pay it off by stealing for him.”

Makoto's smile dimmed by degrees, his brows knitting together as he processed the information. Momo could hear the twins mumbling to one another and Makoto looked over his shoulder at them with a small frown. “Ren, Ran-- you're allowed to stay if what?”

“If we're quiet and respectful while nii-chan has business,” the boy chirped, sticking his tongue out at his sister. She responded the same way, rolling her eyes.

“Don't be a suck-up Ren!” She batted back, crossing her arms over her chest. She looked at the other boy curled into a chair in a far corner, raising an eyebrow. “You should tell him too, Hayato-chan.”

“Kirishima-san is the leader of Demon's Eye. What does your family owe him?” Hayato responded smoothly, cocking his head to the side and staring at Momo. He slouched slightly in response, frowning.

“I don't know,” he sighed, glancing at Makoto, then at the twins staring at him with bright eyes.

“And he's making your friend steal stuff?” Ren leaned forward over his knees, pushing fluffy brown hair away from his face.

“My brother,” Momo supplied, nodding his head firmly. The three of them weren't so hard to keep up with, at least, even if Ran staring at him meant he couldn't stop the flush creeping over the back of his neck. If it wasn't such a serious situation he'd be much more worried about having a cute girl in the room paying so much to him.

“Momotarou-kun,” Makoto sighed, rubbing the back of his neck and stopping the flow of questions. “I don't know if I can help you with this.”

“W- what?” He frowned, shaking his head hard and swallowing. “B- but, he's hurting him!”

“I understand,” Makoto's voice was meant to be soothing, Momo was sure, but it ended up only frustrating him further that his issue seemed to be of so little concern. “But I'm not sure if I could offer Kirishima-san anything that would be more valuable to him than Aiichirou-kun is now.”

“T- then don't offer!” Momo stepped forward, frowning hard and clenching his hands into fists. He was closer to Makoto than maybe he should be, with sparks jumping off the ends of his hair. “Make him go away! This is _your_ territory!”

“It's not entirely that simple, Momotarou-kun,” Makoto frowned, glancing back at Haru like he was looking for some kind of help. “But-- I promise I'll look for a way that I can help Aiichirou-kun.”

“You're not going to do anything?” Momo blinked, his mouth dropping open slightly in surprise. It didn't make any sense, people were constantly singing praises of how helpful and dependable Makoto was, especially when people on his block needed help with serious problems. And yet he had no help for them at all?

“Nii-chan?” Ran's voice from behind Makoto was small, tinged with the same hurt and confusion Momo was feeling already. “Why can't you help them?”

Makoto sighed, running a hand over his face and closing his eyes. “Well-- Aiichirou-kun is a very good thief. If Kirishima-san already feels he has control of him, he doesn't have any incentive to give up that control.”

“So you let him get hurt instead?” The question came from Hayato, slightly louder than Ran's. Makoto turned, shaking his head quickly and holding his hands up with a little groan.

“Of course not! I just need to look more carefully for a way to help them!” He sighed, dropping his hands and shaking his head, looking at Haru instead. “Help me with this?”

Haru blinked before looking at either twin and frowning slightly. “Your brother doesn't want to start a fight over the Phantom Thief because he won't join up.”

“H- Haru-chan!” Makoto's voice was whining now, shaking his head. “You need to say things more diplomatically.”

“That's the reason why. Saying it any other way would be troublesome,” Haru shrugged his shoulders, looking up at Momo and frowning slightly. “Your brother got himself in trouble by avoiding everyone who could help him.”

Momo frowned, clenching his fists tighter and tilting his chin up, feeling like he had to defend Ai's choices. “He didn't want to throw himself in with people who were just going to use him.”

“He ended up there anyway,” Haru shrugged, seeming unaffected, looking back down at the book. Makoto sighed, shaking his head and reaching out to squeeze Momo's shoulder again.

“I understand you're frustrated and want to help him, and I'm going to look for a way that I can help,” his eyes were serious, honest, but Momo shook the grip off his shoulder anyway.

“I'll find someone who will actually do something, thanks,” it came out as a snap and before he could realize how much trouble that might get him in he turned and let himself out the door, taking the rickety stairs two at a time. He already had a name in mind for someone who might actually help him out, if he was careful about what information he shared.

Still, finding Sousuke turned out to be surprisingly difficult. It wasn't until late in the afternoon when Momo had given up searching and sat down on a patch of sidewalk in Block 4 that Sousuke appeared with a scowl on his face, nudging Momo's leg with the shiny toe of his shoe, shaking his head.

“Staying out of trouble today?” He smiled when Momo looked up at him, tilting his hat out of his face and raising an eyebrow when he was met instantly with a beam that lit up Momo's face.

“Finally! I've been looking everywhere for you!” He popped up to his feet, bobbing a sloppy bow. “I want to report a crime, officer!”

“A crime?” Sousuke repeated slowly, crossing his arms over his chest. “What crime?”

“There's a man blackmailing and assaulting my older brother,” Momo responded seriously, shuffling his feet with a little bit of nervousness. He was aware that involving the police, especially the partner of Ai's boyfriend, was a huge risk. One that Ai wouldn't appreciate him taking, no matter how dire the situation was. But Momo couldn't entirely deny the truth of what Haru had said; Ai was in so much trouble because he didn't have any allies of his own, and those he did have he refused to use. 

Momo would just have to make use of them for him. Sousuke blinked furiously, scratching the back of his head. “Shit, Rin was right.”

“R- Rin already knew?” Momo blinked, frowning and gripping his hands into fists. Of course, Ai had lied about what he'd actually told his stupid cop boyfriend.

“Nah, but he was suspicious something more was going on,” Sousuke sighed, slumping his shoulders. “What's he extorting from your brother then?”

“Ah,” Momo frowned, not expecting the question to come so directly. He swallowed, trying to cover his own hesitation quickly. “Work.”

“Work?” Sousuke blinked, shaking his head. “He works at the aquarium, I thought.”

“He-- does deliveries on the weekends,” Momo explained, his feet shuffling of their own accord now. “K- Kirishima-san is forcing him to make deliveries that _might_ be illegal and beating him up if he doesn't do it.”

“You don't know if they're illegal?” Sousuke sounded skeptical of that fact. Momo shrugged his shoulders, rubbing the back of his head.

“If I had to guess...” he supplied but trailed off when Sousuke rolled his eyes and waved his hand, sighing.

“You said Kirishima?” He inquired instead and Momo nodded his head, tucking his hands in his pockets once more.

“Natsuya Kirishima, yeah,” he kicked at a stray pebble on the sidewalk, darting another glance up at Sousuke. “Can you help?”

“I'll write up an official report and open an investigation, but your brother has to be willing to cooperate,” he sighed a little when Momo's face fell at that. “Sorry kid, but if he won't give up any information we can't really do much.”

“Do-- you know what he told Rin-san?” Momo asked softly, looking back at the ground.

“That he found your brother and got pushed around by some gang members he didn't know,” Sousuke frowned, crossing his arms. “Which I'm betting the first part was true, but he wouldn't give anything on where he found him or why he didn't come home.”

“F- found nii-chan?” Momo blinked furiously, eyes going wide and shaking his head. “H- he would have said something to me if he did!”

“He seems focused on looking out for you,” Sousuke answered and Momo shuffled a step back, shaking his head hard.

“I have to talk to him. Thanks, Sousuke-kun!” He waved, calling over his shoulder as he already went jogging down the street, weaving between people. “I'll stay out of trouble, don't worry!”

He was panting when he got back to the apartment, having run most of the way, stopping outside and planting his hands on his knees, leaning over and struggling to catch his breath. When he stood there were a pair of girls staring back at him, at least one of whom he recognized.

“K- Kou-san!” He nearly yelped, pointing at the pretty redhead. The girl next to her giggled, one delicate hand covering her mouth. Kou turned at him and blinked slowly, pressing a finger to her lips.

“Ah-- Kentarou-kun?” She ventured, sounding unsure. Momo shook his head, smiling wider.

“Momotarou!” He hopped forward, noticing they were standing outside the apartment with a blink. “Do you live in this building too?”

“Ah, no. We're looking for an Aiichirou Nitori?” The other girl gave Ai's name with a smile, tilting her head. When Kou lowered her hand from her mouth, Momo noticed a falcon tattoo on the inside of her wrist, staring curiously at it for a moment. “Do you know him?”

“He's my brother,” Momo could hear the way his tone went a little guarded, frowning at them. They didn't really look like gang members of any sort, but he wasn't sure why they would be asking after Ai to begin with. Kou brightened at that, though, nodding her head with a smile.

“Do you know where he is? We tried to knock, but it seems like he isn't home...” She frowned at that, rolling her eyes at the other girl's giggle. “It's not that funny, Hana-chan!”

“It's always funny when you have bad luck,” Hana responded easily, smiling when she noticed Momo's small frown. “He's dating Kou-chan's brother.”

“R- Rin-san?” Momo balked, shaking his head with a groan. “Why can't he just come here himself?”

“Probably busy with work,” Kou shrugged her shoulders, ponytail swaying behind her. “We just wanted to talk to him about a few things, but I guess we could ask you?”

“What things?” Momo was closer to pouting now, crossing his arms and letting his lip jut out until they both smiled at him and heat rose into his cheeks against his will.

“Well,” Kou leaned forward, closer to Momo, the warmth of her breath fanning across his cheek. “Since I'm his sister, I sort of have to look out for him. I just wanted to know if Ai was involved with any of the gangs around here, since it's pretty common and all.”

“N- no,” Momo's voice cracked a little, staring at Kou and listening to the thumping of his own heart with a nervous swallow. “A- Aichi doesn't like gangs.”

“Ah-- so he's law-abiding!” Hana chirped and Momo pulled his eyes over to her with a force of will and nodded his head slowly. 

“H- he works at the aquarium in Block 3,” Momo didn't know what was making his mouth feel so dry, but he wished it would stop already. “He feeds the otters.”

The two of them exchanged a glance and a blink, Kou cocking her head slightly to the side with a small smile playing over her lips. “That sounds like a fun job.”

Hana nodded her head, shrugging and glancing down at the cell phone in her hand with a little hum. “We should report to Tadanori-san.”

“You just wanna see Takuya-kun,” Kou giggled but linked her arm through Hana's with a roll of her eyes and a smile, tossing a wave over her shoulder as they both walked away. “Bye-bye Momotarou-kun!”

Momo was glad at least that when they left the heat ebbed out of his face a little, unlocking the door with clumsy fingers and falling onto the couch with a huff as soon as he got inside. He wasn't all that surprised that Ai was gone again already, and probably wouldn't be all that surprised when he came back inevitably sporting more bruises than before, or walking strangely after getting kicked around, or angry when Sousuke saw him and decided to ask if he would cooperate with an investigation. Momo groaned softly, pushing his palms against his forehead and lamenting to himself just how stubborn his brother could be.

 

When he heard the knocking on the door, Momo was back to trying to put the police scanner that Nagisa had given him back together. He was fairly sure things were going into their proper places until the knocking made him jump and nearly elbow the entire thing off the table. He looked over his shoulder and frowned before picking himself up slowly, expecting he wouldn't like whoever was coming to visit since anymore they were rarely good guests.

He was surprised then, when he opened the door to find the twins from earlier standing there, along with Hayato slightly behind them. He blinked twice, cocking his head to the side in silent question, trying once again not to freak out over Ran being cute. It failed almost entirely when she grinned at him, waving excitedly.

“Mikoshiba-kun! This is where you live!” She giggled, leaning in slightly, soft waves of hair falling over her shoulder. “We asked Butterfly-nii to tell us and he said it was right across the hall.”

Ren rolled his eyes behind her, and with them both standing Momo could see that he was slightly taller than his sister, a small frown on his face. “Ran wants to help you with your problem, even though Aniki is going to be _mad_.”

“You wanna help too!” She shot back, glaring at him in return. There was a crackle in the air that for once didn't come from Momo himself, an aura between the two of them that Momo found unfamiliar. He didn't argue with either of his brothers very often, and when he did he always ended up feeling guilty for it. Hayato sighed, stepping between them without any apparent concern for their argument, giving Momo a shy smile and nodding his head.

“All three of us would like to. Is it okay if we come inside?” His voice was soft and easy and Momo nodded, his usual grin creeping back into place. Having anyone his own age in their apartment was new for him, and he was glad they didn't seem surprised or offended by the run-down interior. All three of them kicked their shoes off at the door while Momo swung it shut behind them, twisting the lock once again.

“You guys can take the couch,” he offered, shuffling ahead of them and moving his scanner from the crate-turned-table to the small pocket of open space on the kitchen counter instead. Hayato was the last to sit, blinking curiously at the device before Momo set it down.

“Did you take that apart?” He asked a small furrow in his brow when Momo nodded and grinned, pointing at himself with his thumb.

“Yup! I take all kinds of electronics apart and put them back together. I'm really good at it,” he poked at his own chest before sitting down, one excited spark leaping off his hair that he decided to ignore. “So you guys wanna help Aichi?”

“I came up with a plan,” Ren volunteered quickly, earning a shove from his sister.

“You did not! We all did,” she huffed, sticking her lower lip out in a pout. “Hayato-chan came up with most of it anyway, dummy.”

“Well, Hayato-chan wouldn't have even _known_ that he's in Block 9 every day if I didn't tell him!” Ren countered, shoving at her in return. Hayato sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose between his fingers, squeezing his eyes closed.

“I'm going to explain the plan if that's okay with you two idiots?” He glared at both of them, leaning his hip on the arm of the couch, well away from the sibling in fighting. They both looked at him, shrugging at the same time and settling in next to each other, all arguments apparently forgotten at once. Hayato just sighed, rolling his eyes. “Natsuya Kirishima has a younger brother.”

“Ah, I met him once. He's weird,” Momo wrinkled his nose slightly, crossing his arms over his stomach and leaning on his elbows. “He knew Aichi was here and asleep.”

“Because Kirishima-san does a lot of rough stuff during the day, Ikuya-kun isn't with him for the most part,” there was a spark of something devious in Hayato's eyes, a cleverness that Momo felt a little concerned by on instinct. “If we can catch him, we can ransom him back for your brother's debts.”

“Woah,” Momo blinked furiously, looking between all three of them and squeezing his hands around his arms. “Would that really work? Won't he just get even madder at Aichi?”

“No-- he knows doing anything in Samezuka territory is going to have repercussions eventually,” Hayato nodded his head, a small smirk on his face. “Nii-chan says to be a halfway decent outlaw you have to accept when you're beat. Revenge is a cycle, most criminals don't want to play a game they'll never win at.”

“Oh,” Momo paused, frowning slightly. “If it's that easy then why won't Tachibana-san do it?”

“Aniki doesn't like causing conflict,” Ren sighed, shaking his head hard. “It's not that he doesn't wanna help, but he likes to work peacefully and that never flies when Kirishima-san gets involved.”

“Usually Kisumi-nii causes all the conflict,” Ran giggled, glancing at Hayato and poking the tip of her tongue out when he sighed softly as if agreeing that she wasn't entirely wrong.

“My brother's missing too,” Hayato explained, looking back at Momo with a frown. “Like yours. A lot of people are.”

“Really?” Momo blinked softly, running his fingers back through his hair. “I was just hoping he went out of town. Has anybody come back?”

“Nope! Kazuki-kun is still going crazy looking for Takuya-kun and Zaki-chan,” Ran nodded her head firmly, looking at Ren and blinking. “Who else is gone?”

“Butterfly-nii's friend Sera-senpai-san is gone too, and Butterfly-nii said he wouldn't just take off,” Ren frowned, pushing the hair out of his eyes. “And we know Kisumi-nii wouldn't leave because of Hayato-chan.”

“So that's at least five people we know who are missing,” Ran frowned, reaching over and squeezing her brother's hand with both of hers. “You don't think something might happen to nii-chan, right? What if it's like... a hit list?”

She missed the flinch that Momo and Hayato shared, though apparently Ren didn't, flicking his sister in the middle of the forehead. “They're not dead, idiot! Besides, it's not like some stupid sniper or something could get Kisumi-nii, and Takuya-kun vanished after he got arrested.”

“Ow!” She hissed, rubbing at the spot, drawing an increasingly unimpressed look from her twin. “Okay, so it's not a hit list, what would explain why all these people went suddenly missing?”

“Kidnapping ring, extended jail time if they're already Registered, possibly another gang took them,” Hayato frowned as he continued listing possibles, but Momo shook his head.

“Nii-chan wasn't Registered, or part of a gang. He freelanced,” Momo leaned back on his palms, trying to wrack his brain for anything he knew about Seijuurou's jobs that might give them an answer. Nothing about his own brother came to mind, but after a moment of thinking hard he bolted upright, eyes going wide. “Wait! I saw someone who was missing today!”

Hayato looked back at him, shying backward at the sudden increase in volume before cocking his head to the right. “You did?”

“Yes! Kou-san! She said she was Aichi's boyfriend's sister, but Rin-san told me that his sister was missing, and he only mentioned having one,” he shook his head hard, dropping his head to his hands, static filling his bloodstream. “S- she was with a friend and they were both asking me questions about Aichi. T- they said they wanted to make sure that he was good for Rin-san.”

Momo groaned, pushing himself up quickly and shaking his head wildly. “I told them where he works!”

“Ah-- Mikoshiba-kun!” Hayato stood quickly, fingers wrapping gently around Momo's wrist before he reaches the door, grimacing at the static buzz of electricity that must have leaped from Momo's skin. “Is your brother at work now?”

Momo paused for a moment before sheepishly shaking his head. Ai was more likely out dealing with Natsuya instead. Hayato gave him a small smile, releasing his grip on Momo's arm slowly. “We can work this out a little further then, you don't have to run off.”

“'R- right,” Momo laughed, sitting down slowly, flushing at Ren and Ran both grinning at him, feeling like an idiot for being ready to run off to the aquarium when Ai wasn't even there to begin with.

“Why do you think they _did_ want to know about him?” Ran ventured, cocking her head to the side once both Hayato and Momo had sat down again. Momo frowned, humming softly to himself.

“I don't know. I don't even know how she knew Rin and Aichi were dating,” Momo frowned, trying to remember anything else about the conversation other than the fact that both girls were distressingly cute. “Um, they had the same tattoo?”

“Like, a gang one?” Ren blinked, sitting up from where he had slumped back in his seat. “Kisumi-nii and Aniki both have the same tattoo too.”

“It didn't look like any of the gangs that I know,” Momo rubbed the back of his neck, squeezing his eyes shut tightly. “It was like.. a falcon or something? Kou-san had it on her wrist and her friend had it on the back of her neck.”

“Falcon?” Hayato frowned, crossing his arms and glancing at each of the twins-- first Ran then Ren, one eyebrow raised in question. “I don't think I'm familiar with that either.”

“Maybe it's a new gang?” Ran's voice was hushed like the was gossiping about some kind of scandal. “Everyone we know that's missing has _some_ kind of gang ties, right?”

“I don't know if Kou-san does,” Momo mumbled, wondering if he should admit that Ai was in a relationship with a cop or not. Still, he couldn't exactly rule out the possibility either-- he wondered if Sousuke might know.

“Well, there's not much more we can figure out without more information,” Hayato sighed, and Momo frowned slightly, knowing that he had to be worrying about his brother too. “But, we know enough to get rid of Kirishima-san.”

Ren and Ran exchanged grins over Hayato's shoulders, pushing themselves up and high-fiving loudly. “Aniki is gonna be so impressed by our plan!”

Hayato sighed softly, ducking away from the two of them and giving Momo another shy sort of smile when he stood, flicking the door unlocked and letting the twins out ahead of them, twisting the lock shut again. To his surprise, Hayato didn't try to keep up with the exuberant bouncing of the twins, though Momo probably would have himself if his thoughts didn't feel so heavy, like they were a physical weight resting on his shoulders. 

“You're worried about your brother too,” it wasn't a question, but Momo nodded his head anyway, tucking his hands into his pockets.

“Both of them. At least I know Sei-kun is strong enough to take care of himself-- I hate having to watch Aichi struggle with so much,” he sighed, shaking his head and slumping slightly. “And I can't help him at all.”

“Because he keeps trying to shelter you?” Momo nodded again and Hayato grinned a little wryly, nodding his head in return. There was a little laughter in his tone, shrugging his shoulders. “I guess that must be pretty common when it's just them.”

“Yeah. I think Aichi is a little... different, though,” Momo sighed, rolling his shoulders in an attempt to loosen his posture up a little, still feeling too tense. “He's been part of our family as long as I can remember, but it seems like he's the only one who doesn't think so. It's like, ugh--”

Momo cut himself off with a loud, frustrated sound, rubbing his hands through his hair and upsetting the sparks nestled between the wild strands, making them leap into the air with loud _pops_. “Like he wants a different family or something.”

Hayato blinked, opening his mouth to say something but stopping when the twins stopped short ahead of them, staring at the sign that marked the transition from Block 8 to Block 9, matching frowns on their faces. There was a tremble in Ren's hands that even Momo could see and Hayato shook his head at them. “We have to actually go _find_ him.”

“Yeah, but we've never been there without Aniki or Butterfly-nii,” Ran looked over her shoulder at Hayato with her frown getting deeper, reaching out and taking Ren's hand in hers. “It's a lot more dangerous there for us.”

Hayato blinked twice, sighing and nodding his head. “If we're going to step up and help Samezuka we can't run away whenever we get scared.”

It was a surprisingly mature and even sentiment, one of those things that rang of repetition when Hayato said it. Ran nodded her head, peeking up at her brother and giving his hand a squeeze. “He is right, Ren.”

“Shut up! I know that ” Ren snapped then glanced down at their hands together and nodded his head, swallowing audibly. “Just, stick close to me, okay?”

“Uh-huh! You too,” she agreed and they started walking again. Hayato smiled slightly, glancing at the confused expression on Momo's face as he followed them.

“Their powers work best together since Ran can only actually heal herself or Ren,” Hayato explained, chuckling when Momo's brows crept closer together, only getting more confused by that. “Ran can heal them really fast, and Ren makes things break apart.”

“What do you do?” Momo blinked, almost smacking himself for the question. Ai had told him over and over that actually asking someone about their ability was rude, but Momo didn't possess much by way of a filter over his thoughts. Still, Hayato smiled as much as he had before, not seeming bothered.

“I teleport-- I don't like doing it anywhere that I can't see, though, since I might end up like, inside something,” Hayato chuckled softly at his own words and Momo grinned, nodding his head. It was hard not to be a little jealous, knowing that the most he could do was replicated by rubbing socks across a carpeted floor. There was a reason, he supposed, he was classified as a Low Threat. 

“How are we supposed to find this guy, Hayato-chan?” Ren asked over his shoulder, brow scrunched into tight lines. Hayato blinked, rolling his eyes and breaking away from Momo's side for the first time with a little sigh, putting a hand on the back of either twin and nudging them ahead.

“You two make terrible mafia royalty,” he griped, glancing back to make sure Momo was following them as he continued escorting them both along. “I told you, he likes to hang out at the abandoned school, remember?”

“Yeah! But how do you know that?” Ran asked, dodging away from Hayato's next shove with a grin. He frowned a little further at that, his shoulders ducking inward slightly in a gesture that Momo recognized from when Ai was feeling nervous about being bombarded with questions. He hesitated for a moment before jogging the last few steps forward, planting his hands on either of Hayato's shoulders and leaning over him slightly, surprised to notice that he was taller if only by a little bit, and grinned up at Ran.

“Clearly it's because he knows how to get information out of people,” Momo chuckled, pleased when Ran blinked twice before nodding her head with a beam, walking on her own now without asking anything further. Momo dropped his hands easily from the warmth of Hayato's shoulders under his palms, catching a small smile at the corner of Hayato's mouth that made a little flicker of warmth light up in his chest.

The school wasn't difficult to find, especially because it already seemed like Hayato knew the way there. He stayed in the middle of the group still, directing Ren and Ran ahead of him and letting Momo trod along a step behind, glancing back at him occasionally. Momo tucked his hands into his pockets, feeling slightly unnerved by being in such a large group when the streets seemed almost abandoned.

His only previous treks into the outer blocks had been with Seijuurou, and they had been extremely few. There at least he felt relatively safe, aware that his older brother was recognizable and more than strong enough to stand up and protect him whenever it was needed. Now, with only a group his own age, he felt more exposed than before, especially aware that he didn't know how to handle himself in any kind of fight.

Still, he was good at covering up his nerves, used to trying to help keep Ai calm. He swallowed them down until they were trapped, squirming in the pit of his stomach, but harmless. The school rose around a corner so quickly that Momo blinked slightly in surprise, speeding up just enough that he was walking even with Hayato instead. Eyeing the creepy outside of the building, he frowned, squeezing his hands into tight fists. “I don't understand who would want to spend their time in there.”

“Me either,” Ren grumbled, shaking his head hard and glancing at his sister again. She seemed less afraid than him, some bounce still left in her step, picking her way through the rusted fence and managing not to get her long hair snagged in the wires. Ren followed, then Hayato, with Momo just behind him. 

Graceless, the wire scratched the surface of his shoulder, leaving a stinging trail behind it. He wrinkled his nose at the new tear in his yellow sweater, glad at least that it was one of the relatively clean ones that had jabbed him. Hayato looked back when he hissed at the mild pain, frowning slightly. “M- Mikoshiba-kun, are you alright?”

“It's fine,” he assured with a lopsided grin, using part of his sleeve to wipe the smear of blood away from his shoulder. Hayato looked slightly paler than before, but Momo continued smiling. “Really-- it's just a scratch.”

Hayato seemed more comfortable with that, nodding his head and standing once Momo does, turning back to the broken down school building with his head tilted slightly to the side, frowning when he caught Ran and Ren staring. They turned away quickly, giggles spilling out of both of them as they loped towards the building. They're far enough ahead that Momo couldn't catch whatever they were laughing about, but Hayato sighed and followed after them, leaving Momo no choice but to do the same.

The first door they find is hanging off its hinges, yawning light into the dark hallway inside and when the rest of them seem to hesitate, Momo stepped through it with his head cocked to one side, looking around until he found light switches on the wall. He flipped both on, humming when nothing happened and pressing his hand to the wall, inhaling a deep breath before focusing his energy to the very tips of his fingers and then outward, sending it into the panel and giving a whoop of triumph when the lights inside flickered on.

They remained on when Momo pulled his hand off the well, and he wasn't surprised by the feeling of having a little less energy than he'd had before. It wasn't too bad; more like having done a lot of running than needing to sleep or pass out. The twins cooed in awe at the suddenly working lights, and Hayato smiled. “That's really impressive.”

“Ah-- I'm used to powering most of what I use in the apartment,” Momo shrugged, blinking at the sound of footsteps from the other end of the hallway. He turned, head cocking to the side when the person he was staring at was absolutely not Ikuya. The boy was taller, with dark red hair and a hard frown, possibly older than them but not by more than a year. His arms were covered in tattoos, far more than the usual gang affiliation mark, apparent when he crossed his arms over his chest.

“Who the fuck are you lot?” He asked with a snarl, looking each of them up and down and shaking his head. “Not really a good place for kids to be playing.”

“We're not playing!” Ran blurted out, apparently without thinking about it first because her face instantly went red. Ren rolled his eyes and huffed a little snort beside her, not seeming inclined to jump to her rescue for once. Momo sighed softly, just to himself.

“We're looking for Ikuya Kirishima,” he said slowly, dismayed when that only made the boy frown harder at him.

“You can't see him,” was all he offered in return, rolling his neck and shoulders before dropping his arms. “And if you've got something stupid in mind then you _will_ have to deal with me first.”

“That's fine,” Ren spoke with surprising confidence, shaking shaggy layers of brown hair out of his eyes. “We just need to talk to him, but we can go through you for that.”

It was easy for Momo to admit to himself how cool that sounded, harder to avoid saying that out loud and ruining the tense moment. There was a smirk on the tattooed boy's face, pulling his mouth up at the corners and lighting his eyes savagely. Hayato cocked his head, voice coming out softer than usual, trembling at the edges. “He's here, right?”

“The fuck would I tell you where he is? Are you stupid?” The tattooed boy shook his head, rolling his eyes. “I swear I don't get paid enough to babysit him.”

“We have a deal to make with him,” Hayato's voice had lost its shy edge, coming out even and controlled instead. There was a pause, a small hitch of confusion on the tattooed boy's face while Hayato continued speaking smoothly. “We're from the Samezuka gang.”

“Tachibana's?” His eyes narrowed when Ren and Ran both nodded, clicking his tongue against the roof of his mouth. “Deals go to Natsuya-san.”

“This deal isn't for him. Or you,” Hayato shrugged his shoulders, turning back towards the still open door. “You can tell him Shigino-san isn't interested anymore since we can't speak with him.”

“Ah-- wait!” Ikuya came running around the corner, amber eyes wide and hair falling in his face. His voice was shaky, and he was as small as Momo remembered him being and looked even smaller compared to his friend. “Asahi-san I want to hear what they have to say.”

“I- Ikuya! I told you to wait--” he groaned, trying to snatch the back of Ikuya's shirt but missing, watching him sprint down the hallway with a shake of his head. He sighed, hanging his head, a bright red barrier springing up in front of Ikuya before he reached them, shimmering slightly in the air. “Please calm down.”

Ikuya glanced over his shoulder with a frown but made no attempt to push against the barrier in front of him, shaking his head sigh a small sigh. “What are you here to make a deal for?”

“There's a debt I want to clear,” Hayato didn't quite smile, and Momo wondered if this was the only time the twins were so quiet. He found himself not wanting to interrupt either, biting down on his lower lip. “For the Phantom Thief.”

“I don't have the power to do anything about that,” Ikuya shook his head, narrowing his eyes slightly at Momo. “Even if I wanted to. Natsuya has something he wants, I don't know what.”

“Something like what?” Momo couldn't stop the words from bursting out of his mouth, shaking his head. “He's already making Aichi steal for him, what else could he be getting?”

“He wants a certain item stolen, and for that he has to know that the Phantom is reliable enough to get it,” Asahi cut in, raising an eyebrow. “Though, after last night's screw up I doubt he's going to qualify there.”

“S- so Kirishima-san doesn't need him!” Momo argued, frowning and crossing his arms over his chest. “We want to wipe out the debt.”

“And what are you offering for it?” Asahi's grin turned a little nasty and Momo frowned slightly, glancing at Hayato again. Hayato sighed softly, shaking his head.

“There's a certain object I would be willing to sell back to Kirishima-san in exchange, something that I'm sure he wants,” Hayato's voice stayed cool and even, but Momo could feel both the twins tensing beside him. Asahi's eyes went flat, along with his tone.

“What something?” He frowned, and it seemed to be some kind of cue, because Ren lunged forward, his palm pressing against the barrier fully. It crumbled away into nothing under the touch of his hand and there was a small puff of smoke next to Momo, Hayato vanishing and appearing next to Ikuya, grabbing his arms and shoving him forcefully into Ran's waiting arms.

Momo would have been surprised she could hold Ikuya so tightly if he didn't already look so weak, tears welling up in his eyes in surprise. He cringed like he expected Ran's hold to disintegrate him on contact as well, and with a second puff Hayato was ahead of them again, nodding sharply. “His brother.”

Momo turned to follow Hayato out the door, the twins already shoving Ikuya along behind him. Hayato stopped short in front of him, causing him to crash into the shorter boy with a yelp, looking down at the back of his head and then following his gaze to the girl standing by the door, her head cocked to the side, dark bangs falling over her eyes.

“You didn't think you could just walk away with Iky-chan, did you?” She giggled, flexing her fingers and staring at Hayato with a frown. Her eyes were sharp, magenta, and only because he was still basically pressed into Hayato's back could he feel the little tremble that worked down his spine. “I thought Shigino's were supposed to be smart.”

“S- Satomi-chan!” Ikuya sounded _relieved_ to see the girl, which didn't make Momo feel any better, knowing that now they were trapped between two people trying to stop them. Hayato frowned, another little shiver going through him as he watched her, apparently trying to gather some kind of input on what she might be able to do.

It took a moment for Momo to notice her shadow stretching out long in front of her rather than behind, creeping towards Hayato's feet. He blinked once, tracking its movement and yanking him out of the way when it started to rise up from the ground, the shock making Hayato yelp in surprise before he noticed that it had transformed from an outline of her body to grasping tendrils of shadow instead. He heard Ran pull in a sharp, scared breath behind them. “W- what is that?”

Momo turned to answer but instead was caught staring at Ren on the other side of another barrier, closer to Asahi who looked loathe to actually approach him. Ren at least didn't look scared, stumbling back until his shoulders hit the wall behind him, pressing his hands against it and making it melt away just like the first one. Asahi growled in frustration, looking past all of them, hesitating at the panicked stare of Ikuya, then Satomi. “Would you handle that one, please?”

Her lips curled up into a savage smile, nodding as more of the same shadow tendrils rose out of the ground, sharpened to points this time and stabbing forward rather than reaching. Momo yelped again, his hands still gripping around Hayato's shoulders and dragging them both to the ground to dodge the best he could. They didn't make it any closer to Ren, Ran stepping in front of all of them. Two stabbed into her body; one at her stomach and the other in her left arm near the shoulder, but she didn't react past a small hiss of pain.

She stumbled back, shoving them away and grinning as the wounds closed before they even had time to start bleeding. Satomi frowned, narrowing her eyes at Ren and Ran now standing with their backs pressed together. “I heard all the Tachibana's were troublesome, but really?”

“T- thank you for that, Mikoshiba-kun,” Hayato's voice was soft next to Momo's ear and he almost jerked back in surprise, face flushing when he realized he was basically laying on top of the other boy, still clutching his shoulders. He nodded, pulling his hands back and rolling away with a little frown. Hayato didn't seem bothered, still laying flat on his back and glancing at Ikuya. “I'm going to teleport him out before he runs. Stay with the twins, please.”

“W- where are you going to go?” Momo hissed, getting only a shake of Hayato's head as an answer. Hayato pushed himself up quickly, lunging forward and almost grabbing around Ikuya's arm, his hand crashing into a barrier that appeared as he reached. His momentum shoved him forward into the shining red surface and when Momo stood, he was barely quick enough to hop out of the way of Satomi's next spearing strike.

Hayato wasn't as quick, and two of them struck him, one to the side of his lower back and the second in the back of his thigh, blood seeping quickly out of both wounds. Ren shouted, grabbing around both and causing them to melt away under his touch, Momo catching him before Hayato's leg could give out. His eyes were wide but unfocused and Momo could feel one of the twins tugging his hood, shouting behind him. “--go! Right now!”

It wasn't as easy as he would have thought, trying to run while also carrying a half-limp boy in his arms. Hayato seemed to regain himself once they were pushing through the fence, his arms looping around Momo's neck and holding on to the hood of his sweater with tight fingers. Ran looked back, slowing to a jog when she realized they weren't being followed at least. 

“Hayato-chan, are you okay?” She leaned towards Momo nervously, swallowing. He looked over at her and nodding slowly, his face paler than before.

“T- they're just flesh wounds, but I don't think I can walk right now,” his voice only trembled slightly on the answer, casting a nervous glance back at Momo. Ran nodded, chewing her lip and looking over at her twin instead, eyeing the slices across his palms and holding her hands out.

“Let me fix those,” she said softly, pressing their palms together for a moment before pulling her hands away and leaving only a smear of blood over closed skin, perfectly knit back together. Momo dimly remembered Hayato she could only do it to herself or her twin and looked back at the still bleeding gash in Hayato's side with a frown.

“T- they're going to think Aniki sent us there,” Ren's voice was hushed, but Hayato nodded as they started walking again, shifting slightly in the awkward grasp Momo had on him. “He's gonna be so mad at us.”

“That may be the least of our problems, if Kirishima-san thinks we were trying to hurt his brother,” Hayato shook his head, unlinking his grip from Momo's neck when they finally reached the apartment again, letting himself be set on the couch with only a small gasp in complaint, his eyes darting to Momo's face then quickly away again. “I'm also worried about what he might want Nitori-san to steal for him.”

“Last night Kirishima-san wanted Aichi to break his friend out of the Registration Center, but Aichi couldn't do it,” Momo frowned, shaking his head. “He wouldn't tell me why, he just said the security was different than he expected, but he was really roughed up and wouldn't even come home until morning.”

“N- Nitori-san is a phaser, isn't he?” Ran asked softly, blinking her eyes. Momo looked over his shoulder, surprised to find her clinging to Ai's small first aid kit, kneeling on the rough floor in front of Hayato and pushing his shirt up without warning. He nodded his head slowly, blinking when she glanced up at him. “That means he wouldn't get hit by physical attacks-- things like fists or bullets would just go through him unless he was really surprised by it. Nii-chan is almost the same way-- physical damage doesn't hurt him.”

“So-- the center has to have Registered guards then,” Ren answered, sitting next to Hayato and letting the injured boy squeeze his hand as Ran wiped the blood away from the wound. “Since he said it was security and no one who was there to be Registered would attack him.”

Momo frowned, sitting down on the other side and draping Hayato's injured leg across his lap, shaking his head hard. “Who would want to take a job like that?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly, the entire second half of this chapter was not what I was planning. It gets us where we're going better, even if that might not make sense to anyone but me later???
> 
> Poor Momo doesn't even realize how beautiful and bisexual he is, awww.


	6. Wait For It

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “How do you keep getting into all this trouble?” It came out with a sigh rather than a growl and Ai giggled, looking down at the chocolates with a smile and a soft shrug of his shoulders. 
> 
> “I slipped at work the other day and managed to bite my lip and bang my head,” he shook his head with a smile, pushing his bangs away from the bruise on his temple to show it off. Rin wanted to point out the mark on his wrist but decided against it, at least for the moment. It certainly didn't do anything to help him stop worrying about whatever it was Ai kept getting into fights with.
> 
> He reached out and gave his hair a little ruffle anyway, shaking his head before pressing a kiss to the center of Ai's forehead with a sigh. “You're like a stray cat. Every time I look away you get into a fight with something.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter took me 10,000 years because I never quite hit my stride with writing it, and I'm super sorry. I'm not sure if I think it's good or not really, ahaha. Hopefully it was at least worth the wait!

After all the years that they've known each other, it wasn't too hard for Rin to pick up on Sousuke's moods anymore. Outwardly he wasn't the most expressive person, but Rin could tell when a frown meant _my shoulder is sore_ or _there's too much paperwork around here_ or any of the other million frown variations he seemed to be able to make.

The frown he was wearing wasn't one Rin was familiar with, and that in itself was a worrying fact. He was mid-way through an interrogation and only getting more and more frustrated, which didn't make any sense, seeing as he was getting information left and right. The kid he'd dragged in may as well have been an informant already, seeing as he was being more than accommodating.

“So, the Phantom Thief is working off a family debt,” Sousuke looked down at the file in his hands, eyebrows low, an enigmatic frown on his face. They knew that already, and the few people who knew enough about the Phantom to say anything seemed ready to confirm that much at least. The kid, Nakagawa, nodded his head, frowning at the table. “What's the debt?”

“Well, it's like this,” Nakagawa put his unchained hand behind his head, the other remaining firmly cuffed to the metal table in front of him. He didn't seem bothered by it, and Rin wondered if maybe he was Unregistered. That or sure that giving out this kind of information wouldn't get him killed. “It's not money, and it's not drugs. He's paying it off in business, not in numbers.”

“That doesn't answer the question,” Rin snorted, rolling his eyes. Sousuke glanced up at that, his frown only getting heavier. He looked more tired than usual, bags under his already droopy eyes. 

“Yeah, but that's the only answer I've got,” Nakagawa laughed, shrugging his shoulders and ruffling his own hair under his hand. “Kirishima-san doesn't really tell me much, just gives me shit to move.”

“So why is the Phantom Thief working off the debt, instead of the person who owes it?” Sousuke's hand was clenched around the edge of the table but before Nakagawa answered he looked up at Rin, frown lifting just slightly. “You should make a coffee run.”

“Hah?” Rin snorted, groaning when Sousuke only responded by staring straight at him and yawning as wide as possible to emphasize his need. Rin snorted, resisting the urge to smack the back of his head before stomping out. There, of course, wasn't even coffee made, being that it was approaching six and there was almost no one left to care enough to make any.

Rin sighed, shaking his head and leaning his elbows on the counter with a frown. He was internally debating whether he cared enough about Sousuke's need for coffee or privacy, whichever it was, to actually go and get some, or if he wanted to shove himself back into the interrogation room and figure out what was making Sousuke act so weird.

But before he had the chance to make up his mind, Sousuke was walking back out with that same hard frown set onto his face. Rin blinked, shrugging when Sousuke raised an eyebrow at him in question, rolling his head toward the empty pot. “No coffee.”

“Oh, well whatever,” Sousuke grunted, still sounding distracted. Rin didn't move, crossing his legs in front of him after stretching them out all the way, giving him an expectant glare.

“Anything good?” He asked after a long moment of Sousuke saying nothing at all. Sousuke shrugged and Rin groaned. “Isn't this the exact thing you were looking for?”

“Already knew he was working with Demon's Eye,” Sousuke shrugged, pushing his fingers back through his hair and sighing. “Knowing _why_ doesn't really matter, does it?”

“Did you just say that _motive_ doesn't matter?” Rin blinked, shaking his head. “If he reported whoever he's working off the debt missing that gives us a much smaller pool of suspects.”

“Almost all of the missings that were reported had families,” Sousuke frowned, turning and walking toward his desk, making Rin chase after him. “Including your sister.”

“Well, good news I'm already fucking ruled out,” Rin rolled his eyes, kicking at the back of Sousuke's leg. “The fuck is up with you?”

“I'm just,” Sousuke dropped into his seat with a hard sigh, shaking his head and rubbing his fingers into his temples. “I'm tired.”

“Okay,” Rin responded, dragging his 'o's' out just long enough to make it annoying. Sousuke looked up at him with a glare and a hard frown. Rin grinned back, crossing his arms. “How about a real answer?”

“That is a real answer,” Sousuke snorted, shaking his head and leaning back in the chair. “What do you wanna hear?”

“Something that isn't bullshit,” Rin shrugged, pulling his hat off and whacking the back of Sousuke's head with it as he walked by, chuckling to himself. “But you can take your time on that, I guess.”

There was a snort from behind him that could have been laughter but was more likely annoyance, knowing Sousuke.

 

Rin didn't typically go out to dinner by himself, but tonight he had to make an exception. He waited until the _Blue Dolphin_ was less than an hour from closing, partially to be an annoyance and partially because he actually needed Haru to not be busy so they could talk. It worked out both ways-- he was standing in the dining room talking to a waitress when Rin walked in and he cocked his head slightly, mouth almost quirking into a smile before he wiped it away quickly.

“No date this time?” He raised an eyebrow and Rin shrugged his shoulders, hooking his ankle around a chair and dragging it out from the table before dropping to sit in it. 

“Got off late,” true, though he'd been starving for over an hour waiting even after. Haru snorted slightly, nodding his head.

“What do you want?” There was a tick of annoyance in his voice, like he for some reason actually _wanted_ to see Ai, but Rin shrugged it off-- Haru was weird to begin with.

“Gotta talk to you when you're done,” Rin leaned back in the chair, then blinked when Haru rolled his eyes and dropped a menu in front of him, letting the hair fall in his face without seeming concerned enough to even brush it out of the way.

“I figured that out. What do you want to eat?” He corrected, and this time there was a smirk hanging around at the corners of his mouth. Rin sighed a little at the look, shaking his head.

“You're gonna give me mackerel no matter what I order,” Rin sighed, passing the menu back with a roll of his eyes, watching Haru raise an eyebrow before shrugging his shoulders and walking back into the kitchen with a small nod at the waitress, glancing over his shoulder at her.

“You can go home-- no one else is coming in,” it was one of those weirdly sure Haru comments that Rin had stopped questioning after years of hearing them. The waitress blinked, glanced at Rin and then smiled before bobbing a quick bow, ponytail falling over her shoulder.

“T- thank you Nanase-san! I'll see you tomorrow,” she left after gathering her things from under the hostess counter, the door jingling behind her. It took less than ten minutes before Haru was back with not one but two plates of fish, setting one in front of Rin with a small clatter before sitting in the seat across from him.

“Aren't you sick of this by now?” Rin asked, doing his best not to wrinkle his nose. He knew it would taste good, things Haru made always did, but he had a hard time getting past the fish smell to start with. Haru shook his head, snorting slightly under his breath like he was shocked Rin would even ask. Rin could admit, at least, that he should have known better. “Whatever. I gotta talk to you.”

“I assumed,” Haru commented dryly, taking a bite of fish and chewing slowly, making it clear he didn't intend on saying anything else until Rin just got on with it. Rin sighed, shifting awkwardly in his seat.

“About Makoto,” that got a little flicker of surprise on his face, something Rin could only see really because he'd known Haru for so long. “You know he's in a gang, right?”

“Oh, that,” Haru blinked, shrugging his shoulders before nodding. “Of course I know. He has a tattoo.”

“And you didn't take that into account _before_ getting together with him? Or consider telling me?” Rin sighed, not really surprised by that. Frustrated-- not surprised.

“I wasn't aware I needed your permission,” his tone came out deadpan and Rin took a frustrated bite of his food in response.

“So you know you're dating a gang member and you know that if that gang _does_ anything illegal,” he paused, setting his fork down and raising an eyebrow. “Which they will, because it's a _gang_ , it's probably going to be my job to arrest him.”

“I figured you knew all that already,” Haru shrugged, then paused, frowning slightly more than usual. “Or is this your intervention?”

“I wanna know what you're getting yourself into,” Rin sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. How was it that Haru managed to make him feel stupid already? “I mean he doesn't have a record, but he or any of his friends could be dangerous.”

“Makoto isn't dangerous,” the answer came out quick as the lash of a whip and Rin blinked, cocking his head to the side slightly. It wasn't exactly the response he'd been expecting, though he wasn't really holding out hope for Haru coming to his senses and _not_ dating a gang member either. “The rest of them aren't that bad either.”

“I didn't hear that,” Rin groaned, pressing his hand into his forehead and squeezing his eyes closed. “Please tell me you're not palling around with the Samezuka gang.”

“Are you asking me to lie to you?” If he didn't know better, he would say Haru was laughing at him. He couldn't be, of course, because Rin was pretty sure Haru _couldn't_ actually laugh. “Because that seems like a lot of effort.”

“Please don't join a gang for your boyfriend,” Rin sighed, shaking his head and dropping his hand slowly. “Especially Samezuka-- all of them are bad news and their leader has done some really awful things to get the hold on the Block that they have.”

“According to who?” Haru snorted slightly, frowning. Rin blinked, his mouth opening slightly before shaking his head hard.

“No, no fucking way,” Rin sighed, shaking his head hard and dropping it so his forehead way laying flat against the tabletop. “Haru, please say you're fucking with me right now. Please tell me that your giant oaf of a boyfriend-- the one who was late the first time I met him because he was _petting a cat_ is not a fucking ruthless criminal kingpin.”

“He's not ruthless,” there was still defensiveness in Haru's tone and Rin sighed even louder, squeezing his eyes shut before lifting his head with a drawn out groan.

“You're literally going to kill me,” he pushed his hair back from his face, leaving his hand resting on the top of his head. “Or-- ya know, he is. When he figures out that I _know_.”

“Makoto is not going to kill you,” Haru rolled his eyes, leaning an arm on the table and blinking his eyes slowly. “It's not that big a deal.”

“You're fucking kidding me, right?” Rin shook his head, a growl slipping into his words. “Haru-- he's fucking _dangerous_ \-- he's a criminal, he's probably Unregistered.”

He spat the accusation out, shaking his head hard and blinking when Haru's eyebrows knit tightly together, opening his mouth for a moment but snapping it shut again. Rin sighed. “You _cannot_ keep dating this guy.”

“Are you going to arrest him?” It wasn't a question asked softly. As much time as the two of them spent arguing, Rin could recognize the cold slide of anger in Haru's tone and he only heated up further to combat it.

“I _have_ to, Haru. That's my fucking job,” he shook his head, gripping the edge of the table. “I can't just overlook him being a criminal because he makes your insides all fucking mushy. You have no idea what shit they're involved with.”

“Neither do you,” Haru shook his head, shoving the chair back from the table, frowning and shaking his head down at Rin. “You don't know nearly as much as you think you do.”

“About what?” Rin snarled, standing up quickly enough to make his chair go skittering back from his legs. He ignored it, red starting to crackle at the edges of his vision. Haru shook his head and Rin snarled in return. “What? Is it too much fucking _effort_ to tell me?”

Haru's mouth opened slightly for a moment but instead he shrugged and turned his head away, hands slowly curling into fists. “You should go home.”

“Right. I'll fucking do that,” he snapped, stomping out the door with a harsh sigh, letting it bang shut behind him and stuffing his hands into his pockets. It was easy to be pissed at Haru over all of it-- especially whatever information he was specifically _not_ sharing. It probably stung more than it should have, on top of an entire lifetime of friendship Haru deciding not to trust him time and time again.

Rin turned toward home reluctantly, frustrated further by the knowledge that he was going to sit alone and try and unravel Gou's missing person report one more time, and come up with nothing no matter how long he stared at it, or how he tried to draw connections between her and the others. With or without the addition of Ai's brother on the list (and Rin was confident enough to call him missing even without Ai filing any paperwork on it), there was no connection between Gou and the rest of them.

Most had gang connections already, and all of them had families. It stood to reason, as far as Rin could tell, that there might be others who didn't fit those two facts who just hadn't been reported yet, but working off things that he didn't know wasn't exactly going to be much help to him. He twisted the lock open with a sigh, dragging the copied files out of the box they were tucked in next to the couch and dropping them onto the low table with a frown.

All it would take was one brilliant idea to figure it all out, even if Rin was still struggling.

 

Work, the next day, was worse if anything. Rin came in to Sousuke cutting Nakagawa loose with a frown on his face, and answering any questions about the case with various glares and grunts. It got more and more annoying as the day progressed and Sousuke continued refusing to do anything else with himself until Rin's patience finally snapped and he dropped so he was sitting on the corner of Sousuke's desk, crushing a pile of paperwork underneath him.

They'd been doing it for days and Rin was starting to worry he was going to have dreams about being crushed beneath a stack of poorly filled out forms. But, for the moment he ignored his impending nights of office horror to glare at his best friend instead, crossing his arms. “Talk.”

“About what?” Sousuke's voice was placid, making a show of not being interested in whatever game Rin wanted to play. Rin kicked at the side of his leg, shaking his head.

“Whatever's going on with you. I wanna know,” there was a little more snap in his tone-- he didn't want to keep dancing around this for the next week and if he had to piss Sousuke off a little to get an answer it didn't bother him that much. Bickering is a state of being between the two of them, there's no fight that would actually split the two of them apart.

“It's just-- this whole Phantom Thief bullshit,” Sousuke sighed, leaning back in his seat and shaking his head slowly. “Everything's a dead end.”

“That's not what it seemed like yesterday,” Rin frowned, leaning over and grabbing the file in front of Sousuke, skimming it before setting it in his lap. “Something that isn't bullshit.”

“I don't want to catch him,” Sousuke answered after a long, thoughtful moment. He looked up at Rin's open mouth with a slow sigh, snatching the file back. “Ya know what we've figured out about him? He's stealing just enough to pay rent in Blocks 7 and 8, he's being blackmailed probably because Demon's Eye killed his brother and wants him to pay a debt back, and he's doing all of it so he can support a family.”

“That doesn't give him a free pass to break the law,” Rin frowned, shaking his head sharply. It felt like an unfair answer, but it was the one that he had to stand by. It wasn't up to him or Sousuke to decide which criminals were noble enough to get away. Especially because if they broke down the life of every single person they dragged into be Registered that far, no one would ever make it that far. “It's not up to us.”

“I'm not saying it gives him a pass,” Sousuke sighed, shaking his head and rubbing at his temples. “What other options do you think he has left?”

“This is that whole hero thing again, isn't it?” Rin shook his head in return, groaning and leaning it back between his shoulders. “We're supposed to be here to make the system better, not--”

“How are you going to do that by following all the rules?” Sousuke's voice was cuttingly serious and Rin stopped, lifting his head up slowly with a frown. Sousuke didn't budge. “You're trying to put a fire out from inside a burning building, Rin.”

“And what about you?” Rin snapped in return, curling his arms around his chest slightly. Sousuke sighed, shrugging his shoulders and flipping the file shut.

“I'm where I've always been,” there was the beginning of a grin in his tone, but he didn't quite let it slip onto his face. “I'm here with you. You're supposed to be the hero.”

“So how the fuck am I supposed to do that? By letting the Phantom Thief do whatever the fuck he pleases?” Even if he did mean the question seriously, nothing could stop him from barking it out at Sousuke.

“Take the Demon's Eye Syndicate out,” Sousuke shrugged, laying his palms flat on the desk. “No gang, no debt.”

“And after that when the Phantom Thief keeps stealing?” It would be nice to think that he would stop, in that case, but Rin was far too realistic about his cases to believe they really had any chance of that happening at all. 

“You're not gonna like my suggestion,” Sousuke sighed, leaning back a little further in his seat. “But I think you should find a different career.”

“You're right, I don't like it,” Rin snapped, his hands gripping into fists around the edge of the desk. “You know why _I'm_ here.”

“This job isn't what you wanna do,” Sousuke frowned, squeezing his hands into fists but releasing them quickly. “You wanna do actual good, and you can't do that if you're obsessed with enforcing laws that hurt people.”

“So what? Leave the force and become a fucking vigilante instead?” Rin meant it sarcastically, but Sousuke nodded his head with a smirk starting to creep crooked over his features.

“Exactly what I was thinking,” he laughed, putting his palms behind his head and leaning back on them. “We'll get you a mask and everything.”

“You're an idiot,” Rin sighed, shaking his head and kicking his legs out in front of them, letting his heels thunk against the desk with a frown. “C'mon, we should actually do some work.”

 

The only brilliant idea that he ended up coming up with was showing up at Ai's door the next evening with a box of chocolates that is thankfully not heart shaped and his uniform ditched back at the station in favor of riding his bike over (and hoping that it wouldn't get stolen sitting outside the apartment).

He wasn't all that surprised when knocking on the door led to Momo opening it with a suspicious look on his face, frowning slightly harder when he looked up at Rin, blinking slowly. There was a sharpness in his eyes that Rin found more unsettling than he expected, shifting slightly and gripping onto the chocolates a little harder. “Yo.”

“You're here to see Aichi?” He raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms over his chest and making no attempt to move away from the door. Rin nodded, wondering what exactly he'd done to make the kid so annoyed with him. Momo snorted, fists clenching around the loose sleeves of his hoodie. “Great. He can tell you about how he magically found nii-chan and then lost him all over again. Or whatever.”

“Oh,” Rin blinked, rolling his shoulders in a short shrug and laughing softly. “He didn't say much about it, but I wanted to make sure he was alright after the other night.”

Momo shrugged, stepping out of the way and grumbling under his breath. “Not like he would tell me.”

Rin cringed slightly at that, shaking his head and deciding not to comment on it. He knew Ai was still worried about taking care of his younger brother, and apparently that meant sheltering him from things, or at least trying to. He elbowed the door shut behind him, blinking when Momo had already vanished down the hall, voice low and irritated.

“Aichi! Your boyfriend's here again,” he huffed, glancing over his shoulder with a frown. Ai gave him a small smile, wearing yet another comically large sweater that dipped well past his thighs. Rin struggled not to chuckle at it, the urge wiped away quickly when Ai, if anything, looked _more_ roughed up than the last time Rin had seen him.

There was still a bruise on his jaw and a cut on his forehead, accompanied by a fresh looking mark at his temple and what looked like a burn around his wrist before the sleeve fell to cover his hand entirely. Momo didn't look surprised, just continually upset, ducking into the bedroom instead. Ai looked up at Rin with a beam regardless, forcing Rin to notice that his lower lip was split now as well. He frowned, holding the chocolates out and shaking his head.

“How do you keep getting into all this trouble?” It came out with a sigh rather than a growl and Ai giggled, looking down at the chocolates with a smile and a soft shrug of his shoulders. 

“I slipped at work the other day and managed to bite my lip and bang my head,” he shook his head with a smile, pushing his bangs away from the bruise on his temple to show it off. Rin wanted to point out the mark on his wrist but decided against it, at least for the moment. It certainly didn't do anything to help him stop worrying about whatever it was Ai kept getting into fights with.

He reached out and gave his hair a little ruffle anyway, shaking his head before pressing a kiss to the center of Ai's forehead with a sigh. “You're like a stray cat. Every time I look away you get into a fight with something.”

“You don't strike me as a cat person,” Ai grinned, leaning into Rin with another soft giggle. He looked down at the chocolates with a small blush creeping over his cheeks, squeezing his fingers around them a little tighter. “These are really nice, thank you.”

“I was hoping you'd be in better shape,” Rin tried to impress disapproval into his tone, his hand sliding from the top of Ai's head to cradling the back gently, leaning in to look over the bruises on his face more closely. “I _was_ going to take you out for a ride, but...”

“I can still go!” Ai chirped in a voice that was dangerously close to whining. Rin laughed softly, shaking his head and still trying to get a better look at the cut lower on his jaw that Rin hadn't noticed before. It was much smaller, with the harsh pink of a burn around it. Rin frowned slightly, running his thumb against the edge of it.

“You sure you're alright?” Rin sighed, leaning back and stroking a lock of Ai's hair between his fingers, twirling it slightly around one. He was finding himself at a loss for ways to get Ai to look at him being a cop as something other than a threat, despite the claim that he trusted Rin. “Are you getting trouble from Samezuka around here?”

“Ah,” Ai frowned slightly, red creeping into his cheeks even as he gently shook his head. “No-- they've never bothered us. The block has actually been a lot better with T-- Samezuka around.”

“I figured you'd know Makoto was in charge-- I know it's kinda hard to avoid being some part of it when you live in their territory,” Rin sighed, dropping his hand slowly from Ai's hair and shaking his head. “Not entirely sure how _I'm_ going to handle knowing.”

“I've really only met him one time,” Ai shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck, fingers creeping toward where Rin's had had been. “Seijuurou-kun has said that he's honest and trustworthy, though.”

“He's also dating Haru,” Rin sighed, groaning and resting his head slightly on Ai's shoulder. He was surprised when a pair of small hands lifted instantly to wind in his hair, nails rubbing lightly over his scalp. “Which means I'll probably have to arrest the boyfriend of one of my best friends. Which means Haru is going to be _pissed_ at me.”

“I know this is going to sound stupid,” Ai's voice was almost unfairly soothing, and his fingers didn't stop gently working tangles out of Rin's hair, making him hum just a little at the feeling. “But why do you have to arrest him? I know the gangs get involved in crime, but it would be much harder for people living down here if he were suddenly gone.”

“I can't make choices like that,” Rin sighed softly, shaking his head but not lifting it away from Ai's shoulder. “Even if it doesn't seem like he's hurting anyone I can't pick and choose which laws I uphold.”

Ai went quiet for a much longer moment than expected, opening his mouth with an answer but stopping at the stomping of feet from down the hall. Rin straightened quickly, laughing a little when Ai's hands fell out of his hair, not entirely sure he wanted to give the kid any more reasons to dislike him. It didn't seem to help any, Momo simply frowned at him before looking back at Ai.

“Aichi-- what are we doing for dinner?” He asked with a small sigh and Ai blinked his eyes before glancing down slightly at the floor, walking into the kitchen with reluctance dragging his footsteps.

“Well--” he tugged open the old fridge, making the hinges groan in protest, blinking at the barren state of it. A soft _oh_ fell out of his mouth and he pushed it shut quickly, red creeping into his face. “D- do you want to see what Nagisa-kun and Ryugazaki-kun are having?”

Momo blinked, glancing at Rin before rolling his shoulders in a shrug and nodding. “Sure thing.”

“I'll make sure to get groceries tomorrow,” Ai promised, hanging his head and sighing when Momo banged out the front door with just a hum in response. He sighed, pressing his palms into his eyes, shutting them tightly for a moment. Rin frowned, feeling like he was a part of something that he really wasn't supposed to see. Still, he stepped over gently, resting a hand on Ai's back and smiling a little when he sighed.

“S- sorry. I'm not used to it being just the two of us,” Ai shook his head, leaning it into the center of Rin's chest and squeezing his eyes shut. “And I don't know what to do without Seijuurou-kun.”

“You said it had something to do with a different gang, right?” Rin returned to petting the back of his head gently, trying to sound comforting rather than interrogating. Ai sighed, his fingers gripping around Rin's shirt for a moment before shaking his head.

“N- not exactly. I'm not really sure,” he seemed at war with the words coming out of his mouth and Rin blinked, rubbing his shoulders gently. 

“Hey-- tell me what's going on,” Rin mumbled against the back of his head, rubbing long strokes up and down his back, feeling the tiny trembles working their way up and down his spine. “I wanna help.”

“I can't,” Ai mumbled before lifting his head so sharply he almost slammed the back of it into Rin's jaw, shaking it quickly and frowning. There was a thick build of tears in his eyes and despite shifting back his hands only squeezed tighter. “I'm sorry. I want to-- I just... I can't.”

“You know something else about it,” it wasn't a question but Ai shook his head anyway, teeth digging into his lower lip and nearly tearing the split already in it open again. “Ai, talk to me.”

“I really,” Ai stopped, shaking his head. There was a strange tingle of warmth against Rin's skin and Ai jumped, letting go suddenly and balling his hands once again and pressing them so hard into his forehead and Rin cringed in sympathy, holding the tops of his arms. “I _can't_.”

“Exactly how bad is this?” He asked with a soft sigh, lowering Ai's arms slowly and tilting his chin up. “It's part of why you're always in such bad shape, right?”

“It's fine,” he answered too quick, smooth and without stumbling despite the tremors still wracking their way down his back. “I'm handling it. It's fine.”

“It doesn't _look_ handled,” Rin sighed, shaking his head and wondering for a moment if this was the kind of conversation Momo was having with Ai daily. He glanced down at Ai still shaking like he was about to come apart at the seams, chest clenching at how small he seemed, how he looked like he wanted to curl in on himself and get lost forever. Rin frowned, shaking his head and resting his hand on the side of Ai's neck, stroking the edge of his jaw, gently running his thumb over the bruises there.

Ai's brow furrowed and he opened his mouth to argue, but Rin shook his head, thumb pressing softly against his lip, sighing. “You don't have to tell me. I just-- I wanna be able to _help_ you.”

His cheeks went pink, but Ai nodded his head slowly, kissing the tip of Rin's thumb with a small smile. “T- thank you.”

 

It was starting to seem, at least to Rin, like things were circling back to the gangs in the area. And while before that would have been a problem he didn't know how to deal with, the fact that Makoto was apparently a criminal lynchpin might actually be of some help to him. The problem was that the entire block was Samezuka territory and he had no idea how to find his needle in that haystack.

The easiest solution would have been simply asking Haru how he could get a hold of Makoto, but after their last argument that didn't seem like the kind of information that Haru was going to be trusting him with anytime soon, and wandering around the block in his uniform and asking after Makoto Tachibana seemed like a good way to get his body left in an alley for no one to ever find.

It felt too strange to ask Ai about it-- he wasn't sure that Ai would have any information that he was willing to share anyway, especially with his aversion to everything related to the gangs in the area, and that left Rin, strangely, looking to Momo for help.

It wasn't that hard to find him either-- hanging out in the 5th Block with a shorter boy with pink hair and a lanky pair of what look to be twins to Rin. It was the girl that saw him first, blinking her eyes with her head cocked to the side, making Rin glad that he did decide to leave his uniform behind. There was something familiar about her, and the brother standing to her side with a warm smile stretched across his face, looking at Momo rather than Rin.

“Say, are you lost officer?” The girl asked with a giggle, grinning wider when Rin's face dropped. He was still trying to find a good way to _turn off_ walking like a cop. The other twin looked over, blinking and tugging at her hand.

“Leave the cop alone, Ran,” it wasn't quite a scold-- there was too much amusement in his voice for that and Ran rolled her eyes in return, shoving at her brother's shoulder. Momo finally looked up, the smile on his face vanishing as soon as he locked eyes with Rin. He flinched slightly in surprise, noticing the boy with the pink hair do the same, looking over his shoulder and shrinking slightly closer to Momo.

“Aichi isn't here,” Momo grumbled as if that weren't obvious already. He glanced down at the boy again and quickly shook his head. “S- sorry Hayato-kun. He's Aichi's boyfriend.”

“Nitori-kun is dating a _cop?_ ” The male twin gasped before his sister slapped a hand over his mouth, eyes wide.

“ _Ren!_ ” She hissed, still holding her hand there even when he glared at her. “Be quiet, idiot!”

“Ya know,” Rin sighed, tucking his hands in his pockets and shaking his head slowly. “You're only making it sound more suspicious now.”

“I- I'm sorry officer,” Hayato seemed surprised to hear his own voice speaking though he didn't leave his spot nearly pressed against Momo's side. “The two of them share one brain. It's hard on all of us.”

Momo hid a snicker behind his hand and the twins turn toward Hayato with matching indignant frowns. Ran wiped her hand on her skirt, finally having released Ren's mouth, shaking her head. “I can't believe how cheeky Hayato-chan is with Kisumi-nii gone.”

“It's like he's been hiding it from us all this time,” Ren agreed his grin lacking the sharp edge needed to match his teasing tone. The name sounded familiar, but Rin couldn't seem to place it right away. “That's why Aniki thinks he's so innocent.”

“Wait--” Rin blinked, looking at Momo then Hayato, not missing the way he half tucked himself behind Momo like he offered some kind of protection. “Shigino Kisumi?”

“He's my older brother,” Hayato nodded, blinking up at Rin with a small, hopeful smile crossing his face. “D- do you know something about him?”

“I took his missing person report,” Rin shrugged, sighing and rubbing the back of his neck. “Really that's only because--”

Rin stopped short, the memory of Makoto defending the fact that Kisumi _wouldn't_ just take off because Makoto was watching Kisumi's younger brother. He started speaking again quickly, trying to cover the strange pause. “I'm friends with the person who reported it.”

“You're one of nii-chan's friends?” Ran blinked, leaning towards Rin. The familiarity in their looks clicked into place all at once-- Ran's gentle smile, Ren's messy chestnut hair, the gentle, and warm aura they both exuded around them. Rin nodded, grinning slowly.

“I actually grew up with the guy dating him,” he shrugged his shoulders, surprised when both Ren and Ran brightened like a thousand watt light bulb switched on.

“You're friends with Haru-nii?” Ran squeaked, tugging at her brother's arm with a wide grin. “We _love_ Haru-nii!”

“H- Haru-nii is really cool,” Ren supported a little more shyly, and, ignoring Momo still giving him a look like he'd been asked to lick the bottom of a shoe, Rin decided to push his luck a little.

“I actually need to talk to Makoto, if you know how I could get a hold of him,” he tucked his hands into the pockets of his jeans, surprised when the two of them looked at Hayato rather than each other. Hayato frowned, still halfway hidden behind Momo, eyes narrowed slightly.

“Why?” There was suspicion in his tone, and for a moment Rin was tempted to say he had some information pertaining to Kisumi, but he wasn't desperate enough to get his hopes up over nothing. It didn't help that Momo obviously had no desire to drag him along either, but he would just have to deal with one thing at a time.

“It's not official business or anything,” he shrugged, glancing at Momo for a moment, inclining his head. “Ai said that your brother worked odd jobs for him sometimes, so I figured I'd check in with him and see if it leads anywhere.”

“Tachibana-san said that nii-chan hasn't done any work for him in the last few weeks,” Momo crossed his arms over his chest, frowning slightly. Rin nodded, shrugging his shoulders, wishing this was just a little bit easier. He'd rather go back to Sousuke with some actual progress made, rather than listening to more of how he should throw his career away for nothing in return.

“Ai gave me some other information I can work with,” Rin didn't miss the way Momo frowned further at that but reluctantly nodded his head, looking back at Hayato.

“Alright,” Hayato relented, a light blush creeping into his cheeks. It seemed like Ren must have noticed it too, because he frowned slightly, shooting Momo a look that wasn't noticed. Hayato stared at Rin for a moment like he wanted to say something else but instead simply stepped away from the apparent safety of hiding behind Momo for the first time, walking down the sidewalk back toward Block 8 with his hands tucked in his pockets. The twins fell into step behind him, Ren seeming surprised when Momo glared at Rin once before jogging to catch up with Hayato, leaving him following a bunch of kids, sighing slightly. He was glad Sousuke wasn't there for this, he wasn't sure he could live through the embarrassment.

 

He hadn't spent any time picturing what kind of hideout that Makoto might be using, but the half broken warehouse that he was led to still defied his expectations. There was no one standing at the outer door that they entered through, and the only walls were constructed of old wooden pallets stacks on top of one another.

Hayato and the twins had no trouble navigating it, stopping when they found a tall young man with indigo hair and bright red glasses who smiled at the four of them but stopped when he saw Rin. He didn't get a chance to ask, beset on either side by Ren and Ran.

“Butterfly-nii!” The shout was surprisingly close to unison, with one of them grabbing each of his arms, grinning madly.

“Sorry Rei-san, is Makoto-san busy now?” Hayato watched the twins attempt to nearly climb Rei with a twitch of amusement at the corners of his mouth, blinking when Rei made a sound of indignation before nodding his head, trying desperately to pull his arms free.

“Ren-san, Ran-san, please! This is hardly beautiful!” He was wailing, his glasses knocked sideways on his face by their tugging, finding himself dragged away from the door by the two of them. “What would your brother say to this?”

“They should really be a little bit nicer to you, Rei,” Makoto poked his head out from between the pallets, laughing softly when the twins let go of Rei to tackle him instead. He caught both of them without trouble, smiling like a pleased mother might. “I didn't expect you back so early.”

“Nitori-kun's boyfriend wanted to talk to you,” Ran smiled when Makoto stood again, nodding her head at Rin. “He said he has more information about Mikoshiba-san.”

“Oh,” Makoto blinked furiously at Rin before nodding his head and looking at the small gathering of teenagers in front of him, nerves bleeding into his laughter. “Why don't the four of you have Rei show you around while we talk.”

“M- Makoto-san?” Rei paused in adjusting his glasses to blink, frowning slightly. He glanced at Rin then back at Makoto, shaking his head. “I don't think it's the best idea to--”

“It's fine, Rei. Rin and I know each other,” he smiled, waving his hands gently and seeming relieved when Rei didn't argue further, instead shepherding the twins, Hayato, and a reluctant Momo away.

“Let's see if Kazuki-san is in the mood to put on a show,” Rei intoned seriously before leading them around another stack of pallets. Rin scratched the back of his head when Makoto looked at him with obvious nerves, sighing.

“I'm not _exactly_ here about Ai's brother,” he followed Makoto into the makeshift room when he leaned away from the doorway, blinking at the pair of nice couches inside, taking a seat on one of them. Makoto sighed softly, nodding and sitting on the other.

“Haru-chan told me you two got into a fight,” his tone made Rin feel sort of like he was getting stuffed into some kind of couples therapy session for him and Haru, and he had to restrain the urge to laugh.

“Yeah, that happens with the two of us,” he frowned, leaning back against the couch and shaking his head. “I can't actually _approve_ of this.”

“So you came here to arrest me then?” Makoto actually smiled when he said it, tilting his head to the side, still all warmth and charm. Rin shook his head.

“Nah, I really don't wanna piss Haru off any more this week. I guess I just wanna have some grasp of what's going on,” he sighed. “Can't promise I won't arrest you later, though.”

“I'd expect nothing less,” Makoto beamed kindly, then paused, humming softly. “Though I'm surprised you didn't just ask Nitori-kun to arrange a meeting for you. I owe him more than one favor, at this point.”

“What'd you mean?” Rin sat up at that, blinking his eyes hard. Makoto's eyes went wide in response, nervous laughter falling out of his mouth again.

“M- my bodyguard lives in the same building as Nitori-kun, s- so it's fairly easy, um, for him to contact me,” he stumbled his way through the sentence and Rin wondered how in the world _this_ was the leader of the powerful and feared Samezuka gang.

“And the favors?” There was a voice in his head that sounded suspiciously like Sousuke's warning him about poking his nose into things that he didn't really want to know, but the fact that Ai was supposedly getting 'jumped' on such a regular basis made it hard to ignore the chance to ask someone. Makoto sighed, deflating.

“I really don't know many of the details,” he answered slowly, folding his hands in his lap. “Only that Mikoshiba-kun came to ask me for help and was upset when it was something I couldn't do. Nitori-kun has gone out of his way to avoid having any dealings with me.”

“I would say that's smart usually, but I'm getting the sense that he's avoiding dealing with _anybody_ who might help him,” Rin frowned, squeezing his hands together and raising an eyebrow. “What did Momo ask you for?”

“Ah, well--” Makoto rubbed the back of his neck, sighing and then stopping at the sound of a loud crashing sound followed by shouting. He blinked twice, considering before shaking his head and standing quickly. “That wasn't Ren and Ran...”

Rin frowned, pushing himself up as well, blinking when a short boy, no older than Momo, with thick sea green hair, skidded to a stop in front of Makoto, a heavy bruise on his cheek and a pair of angry looking men chasing after him. Makoto looked at the boy then at the pair, raising his hand quickly apparently to stop them, frowning.

The boy was panting sharply, holding his side but staring up at Makoto with tears filling his eyes, swallowing and trying to catch his breath, speaking through his harsh puffs of air. “I- I am Ikuya Kirishima!”

“Kirishima like, Demon's Eye?” Rin mumbled, looking up at Makoto with a blink. Makoto nodded, frowning and watching the boy warily, lifting his gaze again at the sound of further scuffling, Rei rounding a corner with an angry redhead firmly in his grasp, still snarling and trying to shake himself free.

“Asahi-san!” Ikuya turned at that, looking the the two of them and then back at Makoto, shaking his head quickly, tears leaking out of the corners of his eyes. “L- let him go, please! H- he's just here for me.”

Makoto blinked but nodded slowly, Rei sighing before releasing Asahi as well. Makoto's face went gentle, leaning forward slightly towards Ikuya. “You're Natsuya's younger brother.”

Ikuya nodded his head, swallowing harshly again before lifting his head and looking Makoto straight in the eyes, gripping his hands into tight fists. “I- I want to sell information about him to you.”

It looked, from Makoto's face, like Ikuya had just reached out and slapped him. Behind him, Asahi cursed, stepping forward and ignoring the glare from Rei. “Shit, Ikuya. C'mon, let's go.”

His head shook hard, more tears welling up that he couldn't swallow down, bowing at the waist, keeping his back straight and gripping his hands tighter. “P- please Tachibana-san!”

Makoto's face softened even further, reaching out and touching Ikuya's shoulder softly, guiding him to standing upright again, kneeling down at eye level and wiping his eyes, frowning. “You want a way to get away from your brother.”

Ikuya flinched slightly at Makoto's first touch but nodded his head slowly, looking back at Asahi quickly and nodding again. “F- for both of us.”

“He's not some kind of bargaining chip either,” Asahi frowned, crossing his arms and putting his hand on Ikuya's other shoulder. “He's not here just so you can fuckin' sell him back.”

“Of course not,” Makoto frowned, shaking his head and standing, waving Rei off once more. “I'd like to help both of you if I can.”

Asahi snorted, but Ikuya bowed his head again, still sniffling slightly and leaning into the gentle pressure of the hand on his shoulder. “T- thank you.”

Makoto turned, blinking like he was surprised to see Rin still standing there before giving him a slow smile, rubbing the back of his head. “I'm sorry about the interruption. If you can stay I'd actually like to talk to you about Haru-chan.”

Rin raised an eyebrow but shrugged his shoulders and nodded slowly, nudging Makoto's foot with his. “I need information on the Phantom Thief that he might have, and I've got more on the missing cases.”

“Hayato-kun seems to believe it has something to do with the Registration center,” Makoto rubbed the back of his neck, sighing softly. “He's smart, but I don't exactly know enough about how he found that out to say much about it.”

“And the Phantom Thief?” Rin raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms. He was glad that Makoto seemed to trust him with some information, at least, and he tried not to chalk that up as a reason not to come back here with a swat team and a pair of handcuffs for him. Makoto hesitated before shaking his head.

“I can't talk about that,” his voice went soft and he frowned, glancing at Ikuya still talking quietly with Asahi. “And I think it's something that would be better if you left it alone.”

“People keep saying that,” Rin grunted, shaking his head and gritting his teeth slightly. “I really wish someone would let me make that choice myself.”

“I'm sorry Rin, but I really can't share with you,” Makoto smiled, patting his shoulder before turning around and nodding at Ikuya. “Okay, why don't you and I sit and talk for awhile, Ikuya-kun?”

Ikuya nodded his head nervously, slotting his fingers with Asahi's and not seeming to notice the way his face lit up pink at the gesture, pulling him into the office space as well. Rin took it as his cue to give up and find another bone to chase. Before he made it out the door he caught sight of Momo sitting on top of a spool with Hayato, looking openly surprised and happy rather than the annoyed expression Rin was getting used to seeing.

 

He saw the same expression on Momo three days later when he came marching into the police station early in the afternoon. Sousuke blinked, sitting up slightly and raising an eyebrow at him. “You better not be in trouble, kid.”

“Aichi didn't come home again last night,” his voice warbled around his words and Rin blinked at him before frowning and shaking his head, trying to stop the embarrassed flush creeping into his cheeks.

“I didn't see him last night,” he managed, ignoring Sousuke's face getting caught between concern and smirking at Rin. Momo shook his head, squeezing his fists tighter and causing the air around him to crackle with electricity without seeming to realize it.

“A- at all?” He ventured, voice getting thicker. Rin shook his head again, standing and hovering a hand over Momo's shoulder, wary of the sparks jumping off the ends of his hair.

“When was the last time you saw him?” He asked slowly, trying to swallow away the feeling of his own heart climbing into his throat. Based on everything they had so far there was no reason to think--

“Y- yesterday morning before he went to work,” Momo shook his head, scrubbing his hands through his hair before looking at Sousuke, eyes growing glassy. “Did-- did you find anything with what I told you?”

“He usually comes home every night, right?” Sousuke answered, frowning when Momo nodded and shooting a worried glance at Rin. “Why don't you and I talk, Momo?”

“Oi, what the _fuck_ is going on?” Rin reached out, digging his fingers into Sousuke's arm and frowning. “Sousuke, fucking talk to me.”

“I- I think I saw your sister!” Momo almost shouted, sending Rin's head whipping around so fast it nearly hurt. Momo didn't back away at all, his lip caught between his teeth. “I d- didn't realize she was missing until after.”

As much as he'd like to be angry about that, odd coincidences were a guarantee around Gou. He sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose between two fingers. “Where did you see her?”

“S- she showed up at our apartment-- she was looking for Aichi and talking about you and I told her he works at the aquarium,” Momo's voice rolled faster and faster as he kept speaking, pounding both fists into his forehead. “ _Stupid!_ ”

“Woah, calm down kid,” Sousuke shook his head, gripping his hands around Momo's wrists before he could pound them into his forehead again. “You think this has something to do with him not coming home?”

“I--” Momo swallowed, snapping his mouth shut and nodding his head slowly.

“What aren't you saying?” Rin snapped, clenching his own fist tighter and shaking his head. “If there's something going on that could get him in trouble I _need_ to know.”

“Rin,” Sousuke's voice was disturbingly calm, still holding onto Momo and shaking his head slowly. “Leave it.”

“Leave it?” He snarled, punching his hand into the steel surface of the desk and shaking his head. “Tell me what the fuck it is you're hiding from me.”

“A- Aichi is the Phantom Thief,” Momo spoke slowly, dropping his hands and staring at Rin, tears threatening to leak out. “Natsuya Kirishima blackmailed him into breaking someone out of the Registration Center and he got hurt, which means they _have_ to have security there that's Registered or Unregistered.”

“What?” Rin's voice sounded far away, and so did the sound of Sousuke sighing and shaking his head. There was a sickening moment of disorientation that made his stomach churn where he was standing between the two of them while they continued talking like this wasn't any kind of news at all.

“And you think people going missing has to do with that?” Sousuke asked, frowning slightly when Momo nodded, squeezing his shoulder. “I can check it out soon. Is there someone you can stay with in the meantime?”

“O- our neighbors across the hall,” Momo nodded, lifting one worn sleeve to rub tears away from his eyes, swallowing. “Y- you haven't found anyone who's gone missing yet.”

“We'll find both of them Momo,” Sousuke hesitated, glancing at Rin and shaking his head slowly. “Go on and see them, I'll come talk to you when we have news.”

Momo nodded once more then hesitated, staring at Rin. “H- he doesn't steal things because he's bad. I- if he didn't we wouldn't have been able to live anywhere decent or eat without all three of us joining a gang. A- Aichi isn't a bad person.”

For anything else Rin might have argued that it didn't work like that, but after seeing how much Ai struggled already to keep up without Seijuurou's help, pieces of the secrets he'd managed to pick up so far clicking into place. He swallowed slowly, feeling his stomach drop out at the sinking realization that not only was Ai Unregistered, he was a phaser-- automatically a High Threat. He blinked slowly, staring back at Momo before nodding slowly. “I- I know he isn't.”

Somewhere in the back of his mind, Rin knew he should be angry that Ai didn't find some way to tell him, that he didn't catch on before, that Sousuke knew and hid it from him, but his thoughts kept revolving back to the same rising tide of terror he'd felt when Gou turned up missing. He dropped back into his seat, letting Sousuke gently lead Momo out, pushing his face into his palms until he saw nothing but white.

He didn't lift his head until he felt Sousuke touch his shoulder, looking down at him with his mouth twisted into a frown. “I'm sorry.”

“I get it,” Rin sighed, pushing his hair out of his face and shaking his head. “Don't get me wrong, as soon as we _find him_ I'm going to be pissed at you, but I understand why you didn't want to tell me.”

“You know he's probably wherever Gou and his other brother are,” Sousuke leaned on the edge of the desk and Rin nodded, resting his forehead in his hands again, squeezing his eyes shut. He let out a slow breath, trying to find some calm place inside of himself.

“Once we find them, I'm quitting.”


	7. Control

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “What are they doing with them instead?” There was more fear than anger at this point, followed by a long beat of silence that hung heavy with meaning even to Ai's ears. “Gou, please-- he's my brother.”
> 
> “I know he is,” Gou was quieter now, sadder. Ai almost had to strain to pick out her voice. “But you know what happens from here.”
> 
> “ _No_ ,” the single syllable was tight, spat out of his mouth like it burned to let it rest there. “No way, I'm not--”
> 
> “Seijuurou,” her voice rose once more, cutting him off sharply, leaving no room for whatever argument Seijuurou was going to make about the topic. “You know you can't do anything about it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honest to god, I didn't mean for this to take so long and I am sorry. Happy New Year! I'm trash, but I finished it, okay?

Ai woke up to the touch of something blazing on the chilled skin of his forehead. Everything felt heavy and sluggish-- he couldn't even force his eyes open, left swimming through the fuzzy darkness behind his eyelids. He didn't realize the throbbing of his skull until the hand on his forehead pulled away, followed by soft voices.

“You knew they were planning to do this,” a male voice, familiar and angry, but Ai couldn't place it. “Why didn't you tell me?”

“You should have expected it,” the answer came from a female, this one sharp and foreign to Ai. “He saw you here. Hana-chan had to convince them not to kill him.”

“What are they doing with them instead?” There was more fear than anger at this point, followed by a long beat of silence that hung heavy with meaning even to Ai's ears. “Gou, please-- he's my brother.”

“I know he is,” Gou was quieter now, sadder. Ai almost had to strain to pick out her voice. “But you know what happens from here.”

“ _No_ ,” the single syllable was tight, spat out of his mouth like it burned to let it rest there. “No way, I'm not--”

“Seijuurou,” her voice rose once more, cutting him off sharply, leaving no room for whatever argument Seijuurou was going to make about the topic. “You know you can't do anything about it.”

There was a hissing sound-- air pushed through his teeth before the hand stroked the hair back from Ai's face once more, and, this time, he groaned, trying to lead his head into the soothing touch. The sound seemed to go unnoticed by the both of them.

“Tadanori-san wants Uozumi-kun there instead of you,” she sounded apologetic and Seijuurou kept stroking Ai's hair with slow, gentle fingers. “He might try to phase out and run--”

“He'll lose control of the phase as soon as he figures out what's going on,” his hand dropped off of Ai's head. “Help me get him out of here.”

“I can't do that,” she sighed, voice sounding closer and sharper now, followed by an annoyed grunting sound from Seijuurou. “And neither can you.”

Ai tried once more to force his eyes open, tongue heavy in his mouth. The room was darker than he expected, a blessing for his still pounding head. Despite expecting it already, the sight of Seijuurou crouching in front of him with a hard frown was a surprise. Even with his body feeling sluggish and disobedient, he tried to reach out and touch him, looking for some kind of reassurance. His arm didn't move like he expected and he looked down to find them tied to a steel chair. He considered trying to phase himself out of the bonds, but the headache was so intense he doubted he could focus well enough to achieve what he wanted. The frown on Seijuurou's face lifted slightly when he saw Ai's eyes creak open. “Hey there, Little Mouse.”

The familiar nickname made tears well up instantly and questions spin so fast through his mind that Ai had trouble grabbing hold of one to ask. Instead, he shook his head slowly, feeling tears roll down his cheeks. “I missed you.”

“I know,” he sighed softly, wiping the tears away from the left side of Ai's face, looking down at his knees. “I know it was hard on you.”

“Seijuurou,” Gou's voice sounded like a warning, something Ai didn't understand. He looked up at her, blinking at the red-haired girl that it would be impossible for him not to recognize at this point. She gave him a weak smile in return, something sad in her eyes. “I suppose I should say that it's nice to meet you, Nitori-kun.”

“W- what's going on?” The words stuck around the lump in his throat and Seijuurou turned his head to stare up at Gou, intensity shining hard in his eyes. “Y- you're Rin's sister.”

“You're-- well,” she sighs softly. “The easiest way of putting it is to say you'll be working with us.”

“Why do you know her brother?” Seijuurou blinked, staring between them with a frown. “Isn't he a cop? Did you get into trouble?”

“Ah, no--” Ai started, feeling exactly like when he was a teenager getting caught kissing a boy he'd met at school. Gou giggled, shaking her head with a tiny grin.

“They're dating,” she smirked at the way his face plummeted, surprise flashing across it like a neon sign.

“You're what?” It wasn't even a snap, his voice came out strained but cool, and Ai fought the urge to smile. It was absurd, seeing that he had no idea where he was and seeing these two in the same room didn't make him feel like good things were in store, but Seijuurou was still his brother, the person who had struggled so much with raising him and Momo, sneaking home books from school to teach Ai with, coming home late at night with bloody knuckles and a wad of cash in hand, waving off any attempt made to ask where he'd been or what he'd been doing. 

“Y- yeah,” he laughed softly, blinking at the way Seijuurou's face tightened further before he hung his head with a groan.

“I really wish I could go kick his ass for that,” he sighed, looking up at Gou, leaning his chin on his shoulder, frowning. “You knew about that too.”

“Kisumi-kun found that one out,” she shrugged, patting his shoulder with a little roll of her eyes. “I didn't think it was worth sharing.”

“I don't need _you_ trying to protect me, of all people,” he snorted, lifting his hand and rubbing the back of his neck with a frown. When it lifted Ai caught sight of the falcon inked into his skin, outlined in stark black on the edge of his forearm. Something he knew for sure that Seijuurou had never had before. Gou blinked at him before huffing and shaking her head.

“Just because we're--” she started, snapping her mouth shut when the door on the far wall swung open, giving Ai a glance that felt apologetic, shaking her head and looking at the tall man stepping through the door, adjusting his glasses and looking down at the file in his hand with a small smile.

“Oh, Seijuurou-kun,” he looked slightly surprised, tilting his head to the side and humming in the back of his throat. “Hanamura-san said she didn't need you this time.”

Ai was left wondering what that meant still when Seijuurou's face clouded over, dark and heavy like an impending storm. The man continued smiling like he didn't notice it at all, looking down at the file again. “Kou-san, there's a matter we'll have to discuss later as well. We're pulling you out of the field for now.”

“What?” She blinked, frowning and shaking her head quickly. There was something strange to her expression, an undercurrent of fear that made Ai's stomach coil a little. “Why?”

“We'll discuss it later,” he nodded, his tone not changing. Gou blinked, then sighed and nodded her head, giving a small tug to Seijuurou's shoulder.

“C'mon,” her voice was softer than before, and she started to walk, only to stop when he refused to budge. She sighed softly, turning and dropping to one knee next to him, both hands resting on his shoulders now, squeezing gently. “Sei, we have to go.”

Ai blinked, looking down in surprise when Seijuurou's forehead leaned forward to rest against his knee, hands squeezing into fists but letting Gou pull him up to his feet, apparently ignoring the red sparks crawling around his fingers and rubbing the small of his back, nudging him to walk as well. “We can come back later.”

“Tadanori,” he lifted his head slowly with a frown, hand clenching tighter, looking like he wanted to do nothing more than reel back and punch Tadanori in the face. “You know they sent you after my brother, right?”

Tadanori's placid expression changed quickly, mouth dropping slightly open in surprise, shaking his head back and forth as his eyes darted over to Ai then back to Seijuurou frowning at him. “I was told to bring in the Phantom Thief as an asset.”

“Yeah, that would be my younger brother,” he snapped, shifting to the side like he wanted to block Ai from his vision entirely. Gou sighed a little, giving Seijuurou another shove, shaking her head.

“Not his fault,” she said it like a reminder, patting his back and glancing over her shoulder once more, giving Ai a smile that seemed forced at best. He could feel panic starting to build in his stomach as soon as the door shut, closing Seijuurou off from his view. He pulled against the ties around his wrists, closing his eyes, glad for the fact that the ache in his head had started to subside slightly.

“Nitori-san,” Tadanori's soft voice distracted him enough to open his eyes again, teeth digging harshly into his lower lip. His smile was much smaller, much less calm, closing the folder in his hands with a small snap. “I-- can't exactly say that I'm glad to have you here.”

“Will you tell me what's going on?” He asked softly, still trying to pull against the ties around his wrists. He could feel his fingers shaking, fading out of his control, making his head ache once more. “W- where did Sei-kun go?”

“You'll see him again later,” he answered quickly, avoiding the first question. Tadanori sighed, pushing a hand back through his short, dark hair and frowning slightly. “You've been ah, brought in to us, to join our team.”

“What team?” Things were only starting to sound worse as far as Ai was concerned, and the throbbing of his head was making tears spring into his eyes all over again, unable to force anything to phase other than the tips of his fingers. 

“It's easier, I suppose, to tell you what we do,” he sighed, glancing around and almost smiling once more when his eyes landed on a chair tucked in the corner of the dim room. “We're a small group of individuals selected by the government to help in searching for dangerous Unregistered in the city.”

“People like me and Sei-kun?” Ai frowned slightly, wishing he could really move at all. He felt exposed, like whatever was going to happen from here he didn't have a chance at protecting himself from. To his surprise, Tadanori shook his head.

“No, people like Natsuya Kirishima,” he smiled slightly more, fingers drumming together. “You and your brother are able to help other people.”

“By being kidnapped and not allowed to go home?” Ai frowned, remembering Seijuurou's desperate expression the night he'd broken into the Registration Center, repeating over and over that he _couldn't_ come home. Somehow, he firmly had the sense that there wasn't a choice involved with this, but he tried anyway. “S- Seijuurou-- we have another younger brother, there's no one else to take care of him.”

Again, something in Tadanori's expression flinched but was covered once again with a slow smile, like he couldn't stop it from climbing onto his face. “He'll be alright. No one in our program will give him any trouble.”

“T- that's not,” Ai's stomach sank further, clinging his hands into fists, still straining against the ties, eyes flicking up as the door opened again. He vaguely recognized both of the people that stepped inside; a short girl with a bun piled on top of her head and an easy smile, her posture comfortably relaxed. Behind her was an imposing young man with thick eyebrows set over his dark eyes and a frown heavy on his face, one of the members of Samezuka that he'd only met briefly before. There was a falcon tattooed on his right arm as well, the same as all the rest.

“Is he ready?” The girl smiled, and Tadanori stood slowly, fidgeting the file in his hands and looking down at it with a small sigh.

“Hanamura-san, do we really need another?”

“Sera-kun,” her voice was sugary sweet, and she reached out to touch his arm gently, drawing a small circle on it with her thumb. His whole body flinched like he wanted to drag himself away from her touch before relaxing again slowly. “Could you please make sure Yazaki and Kisumi have their next assignments?”

“Of course,” his voice brightened easily like he'd never asked a question in the first place. Ai was still reeling slightly from the strange change in attitude, taking in a slow breath and trying to focus enough to phase his wrists through the bonds around them. “Ah, Uozumi-kun, please.”

Uozumi blinked his eyes, lifting his head with a snort and stepping over, laying a hand on Ai's shoulder with a soft sigh. There was a strange shift inside him, and his hands solidified once again without his permission. It was like other times when he knew he didn't have the strength to phase himself any longer, but without the exhaustion or headache that always came with it, simply an empty feeling in the middle of his chest, like he was suddenly missing a piece of himself. It was that feeling that made him remember being introduced to Uozumi-- best friends with one of Makoto's delivery boys. A canceler.

He didn't have the space to wiggle away, even as his breath started coming in harsh, panicked gasps. Uozumi's brow furrowed slightly, and he opened his mouth like he was about to speak, but closed it again slowly, looking back at Hanamura with conflict written all over his face. She sighed delicately in response, cocking her head to the side. “You're all having trouble today.”

“You said we were done with this,” he grumbled in return, edging slightly away from her with a frown. It left the small part of Ai's brain not taken over by panic wondering who in the world this girl was. She shrugged her shoulders, sliding a necklace out from under the collar of her shirt and sliding her fingers over it.

“I have orders just like the rest of you-- I was asked to bring in the Phantom Thief and I did,” when her thumb drew away from the surface of the necklace Ai could see it was a locket, and he blinked slowly in confusion. He could still feel panic squeezing around his lungs like a fist, cutting off any attempts he might have made at talking, asking what was happening, trying to reason his way out.

He wanted to argue, to fight back, to burst into tears and beg to at least be allowed to see Seijuurou again, but his thoughts were distracted by a building light that seemed to be coming from the locket itself, drawing his mind into a line. Stretched thin, left blank. Hanamura smiled at him, voice gentle.

"You're going to help us out now, okay, Nitori-kun?" She smiled, and there wasn't enough of Ai's mind to really consider disagreeing, and he nodded along with her words. The compliance felt easy, almost didn't feel like anything at all. He didn't wonder what was going on or what was going to happen, and his breathing evened out without any thought really put into the matter. Hanamura seemed pleased, even as Uozumi's hand stayed wrapped around his shoulder. "That's good, I'm glad you're willing to help."

He was glad too, strangely. He couldn't think of any reason why he wouldn't be happy to help Hanamura and her friends out. She seemed nice. They all seemed nice. Ai smiled and she continued talking. "We're going to give you a tattoo to make sure you fit in. And when someone marks you with a triangle, I want you to remember that you're here to follow orders, alright?"

"Follow orders," Ai repeated, even though his mouth felt numb around the words. That was easy, he could do that. She nodded, and Uozumi's hand slowly released. There was no surge of power through his body, just the little click back into place of the piece of himself that he'd been missing. Ai barely noticed, leaning slightly into where Hanamura lifted a hand to pat the top of his head.

"If you can't follow orders they'll go find your little brother," her voice was serious, but somehow the idea didn't really sink in for Ai. Momo wasn't lost, he'd be easy to find right now if they needed him. But something at the very corner of his mind caught on the idea, railed against it, and he shifted slightly in the seat.

"M- Momo-kun?" His voice slurred out of his mouth, and Hanamura looked a little surprised before nodding, still holding the locket in front of his face. Her mouth twisted into a small frown.

"Right. If you're good, nothing is going to happen to him."

If he wasn't good, what would they do? His heart jumped at the thought, even when he felt so disconnected from his body. He shifted again, eyes fluttering when Hanamura pet his head. "It'll be okay, just make sure you do what you're asked to do. You'll keep quiet and do your job-- you won't tell anyone what you're doing or why."

"Okay," he agreed without a thought, watching the light in front of his eyes fade slowly. He felt drained, his mind ebbing back into place. He slumped over in the seat with a little groan, closing his eyes. When Uozumi untied his hands from the chair, patting awkwardly at his shoulder, Ai wrapped his arms around himself.

It was disturbing, knowing he'd agreed to everything she said, agreed to the suggestion that they would _hurt_ Momo if he didn't comply. He wondered if Seijuurou had gone through the same thing, and if that was why when Ai had first found him he'd attacked as soon as he was told to. He shuddered, surprised when Uozumi dropped to one knee next to him, hand soft on the back of his arm. "You okay kid?"

"C- can I see Sei-nii?" He didn't even realize the childish nickname comes out of his mouth until Uozumi stared at him and nodded his head weakly, pushing to his feet and walking back over to the door, opening it and sticking his head out. Ai barely noticed Hanamura leaving, but he couldn't have missed Seijuurou bursting back in, shoving past Uozumi and stopping in front of the seat. There was a hitch, a slow sigh in the air, a moment where Seijuurou hesitated with the situation.

Then he dropped to his knees, both arms wrapping around Ai's sides, crushing him in a tight embrace against his chest, head shaking side to side gently. " _Shit_ Ai, I'm so sorry."

"I- I can't go home now, can I?" His arms were trapped at his sides by Seijuurou's grip, and he squeezed them into fists when his head shook softly. He tried hard not to picture it-- Momo alone, without either of them to come home and take care of him, to make sure he had food and that the plumbing was working and the rent was paid. Momo wasn't ready for taking care of himself, not really, and Ai's stomach churned at the thought.

He didn't know what to ask after that, just pushed his face into Seijuurou's shoulders and let tears shake their way out of him, trembling all over. He wasn't surprised when Seijuurou simply lifted him out of the seat, arm under his knees, the other supporting his back. They climbed up a flight of stairs to an actual bedroom rather than something that resembled a cell. 

It wasn't large, but it did have a futon in the center of the room, along with a small wardrobe. Seijuurou set him down on the futon, sighing and wiping the tears gently off his face, shaking his head. "I have to tell you what this job is."

"S- she said it was catching bad people-- like Kirishima-san," he said the name softly, surprised when even the mention made Seijuurou's shoulders flinch inward. "What was it you owe him?"

"How do you know about that?" He frowned, then blinked, his gaze shifting like he was really _looking_ at Ai for the first time. "I told you not to worry about it..."

"He came looking for you," Ai sighed, rubbing his hands against his face with a frown, wishing he could just close his eyes and escape everything for a moment. "But you were gone so I picked up doing jobs to pay him back."

"What?" Seijuurou blinked, hanging his head and groaning loudly, hands squeezing into fists with a growl. "I can't believe he--"

"Sei-kun," Ai reached out, squeezing Seijuurou's shoulder weakly. "What's the debt?"

"It wasn't a _debt_ , it was a _deal_ ," Seijuurou sighed, lifting his head with a frown. "He caught wind of you being a good thief, I don't know how, and I agreed to pick up whatever jobs he wanted as long as he left you alone."

"W- what?" Ai blinked furiously, fingers curling weakly into the fabric of Seijuurou's shirt. The knowledge took him entirely by surprise, that Seijuurou would agree to anything like that over him. It was risky, at best, and obviously hadn't worked out. Seijuurou rubbed a hand over his face. "Why would you agree to that?"

"You've been freaked out about gangs since you were little," Seijuurou dropped his hand once again, his frown softening slightly at the edges. "I know you didn't want one of them using you, and it's what would keep Kirishima off your back."

Ai tilted his head slowly, trying to get his tired mind to catch up to the words. It didn't make sense, not really, that Seijuurou would take jobs with someone he obviously hated-- things that could put him in _danger_ over Ai's desire not to be involved with a gang himself. He frowned, dropping his hand away from Seijuurou's shirt, pulling his knees to his chest and wrapping his arms around them slowly, dropping his eyes to stare at his lap instead. “You shouldn't have agreed to that, Sei-kun.”

There was a moment of silence between them, pulled longer, by the way, Seijuurou opened his mouth then shut it again with a frown, slowly reaching out his hand and patting the curve of Ai's knee, sighing. “You know I'd do anything for the two of you. Family is everything we've got, right?”

“I'm not your family. Momo is,” Ai mumbled the words softly, hugging himself into a smaller ball. He _hated_ the idea of Seijuurou picking up more dangerous work just to help him, in some effort to keep him safe from Natsuya. It sat wrong in his chest like he was somehow shirking his job as an older brother to Momo by doing it. “You should be taking care of him.”

“I can do both,” Seijuurou's voice was gentle, and his hand moved from Ai's leg to rub his back slowly. As quick as Momo was to argue on the matter, it always made Seijuurou go soft like this, and Ai shrank his head further behind his legs, shoulders creeping up to his ears. 

“You can't though,” his voice stayed soft, cracking at the edges, staying hidden behind his legs. “Not if you're here.”

Seijuurou blinked slowly, then sighed, lowering his hand from Ai's back and shaking his head slowly. “You weren't supposed to get sucked in here too.”

“What do we do now?” He lifted his head slowly, trying to blink the remaining tears out of his eyes. He remembered Seijuurou's suggestion to Gou before of running away, and how easily both of them had dismissed it. But Ai never let go of things so easily. “Can we take Momo and go someplace else?”

“Nowhere to go,” he sighed, pushing his fingers back through his hair. “If it was that easy, I wouldn't have been gone for almost three months.”

“But now with both of us maybe...” Ai started, trailing off when Seijuurou simply shook his head again, his hands slowly curling into fists.

“I don't want you to do anything stupid, not when you just got here,” he uncurled them slowly, letting a slow breath out from between his teeth, a little hiss of smoke coming with it. “Trust me, okay? I'm gonna find a way.”

“Okay,” Ai answered, reluctant to give in. Seijuurou seemed to appreciate it, though, a smile lighting slowly over his face.

“Alright alright, the job,” he clapped his hands lightly together, nodding his head. “Saying that it's catching _bad_ people is really a stretch,” he sighed, shaking his head and frowning. “Really, we neutralize whoever the people in charge think are enough of a threat to be worth it.”

“Are there a lot of these threats? It seems like a big team for that...” He blinked when Seijuurou tilted his head away before nodding.

“Like I said, it's not always bad people-- mostly it's people who fall into High Threat categories that make them hard to catch otherwise,” he rubbed the back of his neck, and Ai's gaze lifted to watch the tattoo on his arm, biting his lower lip gently. “Usually, it's people who are just trying to keep out of trouble. A lot like you, doing whatever it takes to survive.”

“I've only done that to help us get by,” he didn't usually have to defend himself to Seijuurou, but this time, his insides twitched with concern. Seijuurou nodded, giving him a small, strained smile.

“I know-- some of them that we've brought in didn't even know they had an ability at all.”

“How could you tell then?” Ai blinked, feeling his eyes go wide with surprise at the mere notion of it.

“Zaki-chan can read auras and tell-- everyone on this team has been selected pretty carefully for whatever they offer,” he shrugged, sighing. “I'm a thug, Gou's good luck, you'll probably get stuck with Kisumi for infiltration.”

“What happens-- after?” Ai's stomach curls a little at the thought, remembering breaking into the Registration Center and being faced with the people locked up awaiting Registration. Seijuurou shrugged, sighing.

“The process isn't that different, but they give them different registration marks, and a lot of them go straight from here to imprisonment,” his hands twitched and he shifted like he wasn't sure what to do with his limbs while he explained. “It's not-- it's not a nice thing.”

He starts opening his mouth to say something else, then shuts it quickly at the sound of a soft knock on the door, pushing himself up and crossing to slide it open with a huff, looking surprised to see Kisumi there, cocking an eyebrow. “What'd you want, Kisumi-kun?”

“I wanted to meet my new partner,” his face stretched into a cat-like grin, and Seijuurou simply rolled his eyes, leaning out of the way to let Kisumi in with a snort.

“I know you met him before,” he rolled his eyes, swinging the door shut regardless. Kisumi shrugged, grinning.

“Yeah, but I have our assignment too,” he smirked, dropping to sit cross-legged across from Ai, cocking his head to the side with a smile that didn't really reach his eyes. “It's Kirishima, no surprise there.”

“Can't imagine you being heartbroken over that one,” Seijuurou snorted, rolling his eyes when Kisumi tossed him a wink, pushing his hair away from his face.

“Same goes for Mouse-chan, doesn't it?” He twisted hair between two fingers, raising an eyebrow. “I'm certainly not gonna disagree with something that helps _my_ family out.”

“I'm surprised they're sending the two of you together,” Seijuurou blinked, leaning back against the wall and crossing his arms. “What're you gonna do when something goes wrong?”

“I was planning on using a _gun_ , but I guess sending him to the moon is an option too,” he paused, his eyes drooping to the almost entirely faded burn around Ai's throat. “Though if he gets a hold on Mouse-chan that's a slightly bigger problem, isn't it.”

“I-- can knock him out, if I need to,” Ai glanced between them with a blink, lips quirking upward at either side. “If I um, put my hand in someone's chest, they pass out…”

“I really _don't_ want to know how you learned that one,” Seijuurou sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose between two fingers and slowly shaking his head. “But yes, that would probably be useful.”

Something about Kisumi, the glitter in his eyes, the set of his shoulders, absolutely reeked of mischief. Ai found it slightly unsettling, not sure if he could trust any of these people yet. His grin stretched wider and he nodded, clapping his hands together and pushing himself back to his feet, offering a hand to pull Ai up as well. “No sense waiting around then!”

“O- oh,” Ai balked slightly before taking Kisumi's hand and pulling himself up, teeth digging into his lower lip. He glanced back at the frustrated glare on Seijuurou's face, not surprised when it was directed mostly at Kisumi. “Already?”

“Not like Hana-chan needs extra time to get her hooks into you!” His cheer was entirely faked at this point, and he tipped a mock salute in Seijuurou's direction. “I'll look after him, don't worry!”

Seijuurou's only answer to that was a little snort, reaching out and ruffling Ai's hair with a hand. “Be safe, alright?”

Ai swallowed and was surprised to find a lump in his throat, nodding his head rather than trying to speak around it. Kisumi waved a hand at the wall, making a bright pink ring appear in it, reflecting the street outside rather than the hallway, waving Ai through it with a smile.

He stepped through the portal, surprised by the fact that it felt like little more than a little strange tug in his stomach, looking around and nodding, rubbing the back of his neck. “I think I know how to find Natsuya.”

“We're not after Natsuya,” Kisumi's voice lost its faked cheer, looking at Ai with a small frown on his face. “Ikuya Kirishima is our target.”

“I- Ikuya?” Ai blinked, shaking his head hard. He was surprised himself by the urge to defend anyone who associated with Natsuya, but he'd never gotten the sense that Ikuya was a willing participant in his brother's activities. “He's—not a threat to anyone.”

“That's not up to us, Mouse-chan,” he gives a little shrug, cocking a grin anyway. “Though I don't think little Ikuya will be that much harder to find.”

 

It turns out that Ikuya is hard to find, mostly because he's turned up missing. They have to be selective about where they go for information to begin with, being that any member of Samezuka is bound to recognize Kisumi. Eventually, though, he turns up Nakagawa, a package boy for Demon's Eye that only knows Ai as the Phantom Thief and gives him a nasty grin when he sees them.

Kisumi hummed after they finish talking with him, ushering Ai into a small cafe. It's surprisingly busy inside, and Ai's heart kicked up a notch at the crowd. Kisumi didn't go to the counter right away, instead dropping to sit at a small table with only two chairs pulled up to it.

“Seems like Ikuya-chan defected,” he sighed, rubbing his palm against his forehead. “What a headache.”

“H- how can you be sure?” Ai asked, finding himself more interested than maybe he should be in how Kisumi approached the job. He supposed it was obvious that Ikuya hadn't been grabbed by one of them, but to Ai it seemed equally plausible that he'd simply run away from his brother.

“Only way for him to get out is to sell Natsuya out to the cops or a bigger gang,” he frowned, folding his arms on the table and sinking to lay his chin on them, closing his eyes lightly. “And the only gang leader that wouldn't shoot him on sight is Mako-chan.”

“S- so he's with Tachibana-san?” Ai dug his teeth into his lower lip, sinking into his chair as well. No one else in the strange group he suddenly found himself a part of seemed to be thinking about escape, but it was the first thing that screamed to the front of Ai's mind. Kisumi frowned.

“Probably. Which means breaking into the warehouse,” Kisumi sighed, fluffing his fingers through his hair before giving Ai a wicked smile. “Good thing I have the Phantom Thief to help me.”

“You—you're friends with Tachibana-san, right?” He asked softly. Kisumi blinked in surprise but nodded his head.

“We grew up together, yeah.” there wasn't any wistfulness to his tone, and it was something that Ai wasn't entirely surprised by. It was rare that anyone in their generation had many happy memories of growing up to share. The term “Generation of Orphans” had been coined years ago to describe them, and it was an accurate one. They still had families, of course, but mostly they were bonds formed out of struggle and fear rather than blood relation. “We both had young siblings, my brother Hayato and the twins, and it was easier for us to take care of them together.”

“T- Tachibana-san seems like a good person,” Ai nodded his head, surprised when Kisumi laughed at that.

“He's ridiculous,” Kisumi sighed a little, twirling a lock of hair around one finger. “You'd think a boy who practically faints at the sight of blood wouldn't want to lead a _gang_ , but there he is.”

“It does seem like an… interesting choice,” Ai agreed, wishing he had a drink or something to fiddle with. Instead, he tugged at the last two fingers of his left hand nervously. He wasn't overly good with new people, even if he was slightly more comfortable with talking just to one person, there had been a lot of them all day.

“He wants to help people,” Kisumi dropped his finger from his hair, frowning against his arm. “He figured that a gang was the best way to do that. I always handled the more—unpleasant side of things so he didn't have to.”

“Oh,” Ai blinked, looking down at the table with a little shuffle in his seat. It reminded him of Rin in a way he wasn't entirely prepared for. Truth told, _Rin_ was something he wasn't entirely prepared for. He didn't expect to miss him nearly as much as he did Momo. It was an alarming feeling, and he dug his nails into the skin of his palm without really thinking about it. “Um, K- Kisumi-san?”

“You wanna know if there's a way out,” it wasn't a question. Ai nodded his head, looking across the table with wide, guilty eyes. Kisumi sighed, sitting up straight and looking much less like he was pouting, but shook his head. “If there was, none of us would be here.”

“Right,” Ai answered softly, looking down at his hands again, not surprised to find the tips of his fingers phasing through his palm. Kisumi seemed to notice it as well, raising an eyebrow and chuckling from the back of his throat.

“I thought the infamous Phantom Thief would be someone else, you know,” he sounded entertained by the fact, even as it made Ai wither into his seat. That was probably part of the reason he'd managed to evade getting caught—no one looked at him and expected a criminal.

“How do you know Ikuya is at this warehouse?” Ai asked instead of answering. Kisumi didn't seem surprised by the lack of response, shrugging his shoulders.

“I know how Makoto conducts his operations. He and Rei-chan will go home at around seven, and they'll leave Kazu-chan and Toru-chan to watch out for Ikuya,” there was less laughter in his eyes, even as he continued smirking like planning to betray his friend entirely didn't bother him in the least. “They're less of a threat without Takuya-chan.”

“Is it—I don't want to hurt anyone,” Ai figured he wasn't exactly _expected_ to, but something about Kisumi told him that if it came down to it, he wouldn't have qualms. Kisumi nodded, a little sigh drifting out of his mouth.

“You'll get over that,” he responded, pushing back from the table and standing, nodding at Ai to do the same. “That's probably not the answer you want, and if we think there'll be any _real_ fighting then we have Sei-chan to step in, but it doesn't exactly absolve you.”

“Oh,” Ai answered, voice unsteady.

 

Despite seeming entirely sure of Makoto's schedule, Kisumi waited until well after dark to actually lead Ai to the warehouse that he'd discussed before. It was a surprisingly nondescript building, without even a Samezuka mark, painted on the outside. Kisumi stopped at a wall at the back, nodding his head and tapping it gently with his fist. “The inside gets rearranged a lot, but this is closest to where Makoto usually likes to be set up.”

“Y- you can't come inside, can you?” Ai mumbled, wishing he had his mask at least. Kisumi shook his head, shrugging his shoulders and cocking a little grin.

“Nah, but I figure this is a normal thing for you, right? Just knock Ikuya out and drag him outside, I'll get us back.”

“O- okay,” Ai answered, feeling an unsteady shake in his fingers. Strictly speaking, Kisumi wasn't wrong. Ai had broken into plenty of buildings, ones more dangerous than this even, and he took a deep breath before stepping forward and phasing himself through the wall.

The interior of the warehouse was brightly lit, more so than Ai expected, and despite his initial cringe, there was no blaring alarm to signal his intrusion.

He took another breath to steady himself, trying to slip his mind into that calculating state that he used for his regular break ins. It was harder than usual, but he managed to push his anxiety and fear to the back of his mind, phasing between crates rather than creeping around them. It made his footsteps silent on the floor and meant that if there _was_ any cameras around the building, they weren't as likely to see him.

There were voices, and despite being soft in the echoing empty space, it was enough for Ai to follow after them.

He paused when he found a series of large crates set up roughly to form a room. It's clear that the voices are coming from inside the room, and Ai calms his breathing further and leans against one side to listen in.

“It's not _that_ bad,” the voice is obviously from a young girl, prim and a little annoyed. “It's like a sleepover!”

“No, it's not,” the second is similar, but from a boy instead. There was laughter that followed their bickering. Ai frowned, his fingers twitching at his sides. There weren't supposed to be this many people in here, and it made finding a way to get Ikuya _out_ that much harder. He considered sneaking back to tell Kisumi exactly that, but the next voice froze him in place.

“I don't see why we couldn't stay at home,” he didn't need more than a few words to place the voice as Momo, and his heart clawed its way into his throat. It would be so much simpler to step through the crates and to grab Momo's hand and _run_. 

But he couldn't. Not without Seijuurou. If they were willing to hurt Momo, there was nothing to say they wouldn't be just as willing to hurt him. Or Rin, since they already had his sister as well. Ai's stomach churned and he grit his teeth harder together, squeezing his eyes closed.

“It's safer here if they already knew where to grab your brother from,” another voice Ai didn't recognize, a boy again. Momo made a little sound of agreement.

“I guess. I hope Rin-san comes back soon,” he sighed, and there the sound of feet banging against wood, probably Momo kicking his legs. “He said the sooner he finds something the better chance they have.”

“I can't believe you trust a _cop_ to help!” The girl again.

“Well—Rin-san isn't bad.”

“How long has he been dating your brother?” The third voice again. He sounded calmer than the matching girl and boy, and Momo's answer to him was just a little softer in tone, almost shy.

“Um, it's been a couple months I guess,” Ai can picture the way Momo rubs at the back of his head, making sparks jump out of his hair. His chest ached a little at the thought. “I didn't think he'd take the Phantom Thief thing so well.”

Ai had to stick a hand over his mouth to stop from making a surprised noise. Despite not knowing Ikuya _well_ , he was fairly sure none of the voices belonged to him. He eased away, creeping away and trying to find any other signs of where his target might be.

It took some searching, but he came to another makeshift room. This one smelled lightly of smoke, and there was more soft chatter from inside.

“Asahi-san—if I go away for school, um, do you want to come with me?” Ai was sure he recognized the voice, and it took him a moment to realize that it was Ikuya Kirishima.

“Whatever you want, kid,” the answer was a slow drawl, another young man from the sounds of it. Ai wrinklec his nose, looking around before pulling himself up onto another tower of crates, peering down at them with a frown. He could recognize Ikuya easily enough, but the tattooed redhead sitting next to him on the small cot wasn't someone he knew. They were holding hands, Ai realized after a moment, and he looked around frantically for something he could use as a distraction.

Seeing no other options, he pushed the full weight of his shoulder against the crate next to him, gritting his teeth and shoving _hard_ until it toppled and crashec loudly to the ground. Without waiting for a reaction, he phased so he was inside of the crate that was underneath him, breathing heavy and loud in the enclosed darkness.

“ _Shit!_ ” The reaction comes almost as soon as Ai knew he's out of sight, from the young man that Ikuya referred to as Asahi-san. “Stay there, Ikuya.”

He didn't hear Ikuya's affirmation but stepped out of the crate when the footsteps got close to him. He was face to face with Asahi when he did, watching his violet eyes go wide before one of Ai's translucent hands pushed into his chest. He dropped to the ground as soon as Ai pulled his hand back, surprise still written on his face even with his eyes closed. Ai stepped back from his body, turning instead and phasing through the crates that made up the back wall of the room, ruffling his fingers through his hair before looking down at Ikuya.

He was younger than Ai recalled him being, with wide orange eyes and his mouth slightly parted around a noise of surprise. He glanced at the wall Ai had walked through, swallowing roughly. “D- did you hurt Asahi-san?”

The question struck Ai as odd, but he shook his head slowly, squeezing his hands into slow fists. “He's fine.”

“Are you here to drag me back to Natsuya?”

Again, Ai shook his head, breathing in slowly to give himself time to think. He didn't know how to explain what he was doing, but he simply held a hand out. “You have to come with me.”

Ikuya cringed back, shaking his head and gripping the cot underneath him, eyes wide and afraid. “I don't want to go back there!”

His voice rose immediately to a shout and Ai cringed, lunging forward and covering Ikuya's mouth quickly, shaking his head. “I'm not taking you to Natsuya!”

Too late. There was the clatter of feet on the floor and Ai cringed, grabbing Ikuya's wrist tightly and pulling him to his feet, glad the boy was light enough to allow it. He wasn't strong enough to pick him up or carry him, so instead he was forced to drag Ikuya along.

He didn't struggle, at first, following with a slightly vacant expression. But he seemed to come back into himself all at once, wrenching desperately to try and get away from Ai's hand. “N- no! I d- don't want to get sent to be Registered.”

Well, that at least explained _why_ they wanted him. A mind reader.

“I'm sorry,” Ai answered, not sure what else he could say about the matter. He couldn't just let Ikuya go—he wasn't sure what would happen to Momo if he did, but Ikuya only struggled harder at that. But it was something else that made Ai stop and drop his wrist abruptly.

“Ai?” The voice came from behind him, but it wasn't one that he could mistake. He turned slowly, Ikuya's hand falling out of his grasp, eyes going wide to match the expression on Rin's face. He hesitated a beat too long, and rather than having the time to run he found himself wrapped in Rin's grasp, a face pressed against his hair. “ _Fuck_ , I was so worried about you.”

The surprise alone made Ai's body jolt, and for a moment, he didn't know how to make his body move away from the warmth of the embrace. There's a sound behind him, like the air bending and warping around itself, and it takes him another moment to realize that it's a young man appearing suddenly behind him, a little flash of pink in the corner of his vision. 

“R- Rin, wait—” he opened his mouth with the hope of actually _explaining_ what was going on, even of begging Rin to help him, and found that his voice choked off in his throat, words sticking in the back of his mouth and refusing to come out. He gaped for a moment, trying to force his voice through whatever block was stopping it, and Rin pulled back slightly, arms still wrapped tightly around his waist, blinking slowly.

“What's wrong?” He looked around sharply like he was expecting something worse to suddenly appear. What he wasn't expecting, it seemed, was Ai phasing backward out of his arms, realizing he was surrounded on both sides at this point.

The boy who had teleported looked like Kisumi, alarmingly so, and rounding a corner beside him was Momo. Ai balked, freezing once again and realizing that Ikuya wasn't quite in his grasp.

“Aichi?” His voice was soft, confused, and Ai swallowed hard, trying to find his voice once again. It was that much harder, knowing that even if he tried he couldn't actually give Momo a real answer about where both he and Seijuurou were. Momo seemed to realize that this wasn't a reunion of any sort, his eyes jumping to Ikuya shrinking further to the side, a large spark exploding off his hair. “W- what's going on?”

“He's h- here for me,” Ikuya's voice was smaller than Ai expected, a mumble instead of a shout, and his fingers were fiddling with the edge of his sleeve, shrinking away when both Momo and Rin turned toward him, hiding behind the thick weave of his hair. “I- it's a group that brings people in to be Registered.”

Rin blinked furiously, his expression softening, reaching a hand out to try and catch Ai's shoulder again. “Gou?”

“I can't,” Ai shook his head hard, not sure how much he was even _able_ to say. Rin moved another step forward, arm catching strong and firm around Ai's shoulder. He wanted to melt into the embrace, he wanted a way to escape the whole situation, especially with Momo right there already.

“N- nii-chan?” The boy who looked like Kisumi floundered back from the portal as it yawned open behind Ai, eyes wide and mouth dropping open. Kisumi flinched, hesitated for a moment before grabbing hold of Ikuya, lifting him away from the ground and gritting his teeth.

“Let's go, Mouse-chan!” He snapped, and something in the back of Ai's mind gave way with an insidious whisper of _follow orders_.

His fingers trembled as he reached up, phasing his hand into the center of Rin's chest until the officer drooped slack against him, eyes fluttering as Ai's hand pulled back. He nudged him to the ground, cringing at the heap he landed in and the wide, betrayed look on Momo's face, turning and following Kisumi through the portal.

It was dark around them, and Kisumi gave Ai an irritated look until he used the same technique for knocking Ikuya out as well, throwing the slender boy over his shoulder and sighing, using the other hand to push hair back from his face. His smirk was still there, but even Ai could see how forced it was—no cleverness or playfulness behind it just stretched over his features to cover for anything else that might overtake his face.

“Well,” he said brightly, looking at Ai's face and deciding not to comment on the tears blurring his vision, or the intermittent solidity of his body. “That sucked.”


End file.
